True Legacy: Rewind
by Dragon6
Summary: A re-write of my original story. After the events of the Wave, Naruto realizes that he must improve as a shinobi. With Kakashi's help, he sets out to accomplish just that. With a scroll from the founder of Ninjutsu, a fox who mildly respects him and surprising encouragement from Ino, Naruto might just becaome the strongest shinobi of the Leaf, worthy of the Fourth's legacy.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto was walking around the village in the Land of Waves. He could see that everyone was a little happier now that Gato had been dealt with. It was like a veil was lifted and light was returned to the country. Naruto felt happy that he could help with that. Still, his mood was not as happy as the people. He was pretty down about something. It happened earlier today when Naruto went to thank Sasuke for saving him. He was stopped by Sakura. His female teammate gave him a very harsh glare and told him off, blaming him for the condition that Sasuke was in. She then went on to say that he should quit being a shinobi because he was useless. The berating hurt Naruto and he quickly fled the house.

He sighed and thought about what was said to him. He began to think that maybe it was his fault that Sasuke got hurt. It was as the teme said, he should have attacked from outside the jutsu that Haku used. All he really had was the Shadow Clone Jutsu and it did little to help. Maybe Sakura was right, maybe he didn't have what it took to be a ninja.

"It's you!" a voice exclaimed, knocking Naruto out of his funk. He turned to see a woman tending to a ramen stand. Feeling hungry, Naruto made his way to the stand and sat down at it. The woman was smiling at him. "I can't believe that one of our heroes is at my ramen shop. How about a bowl of ramen, on the house?"

"Okay!" Naruto exclaimed and waited for the ramen to come. She served it to him and he dug in. While not as good as Teuchi's, it tasted good. "This is really good."

"Thank you. My father taught me but he was one of the first killed by Gato. I had to learn on the fly. So, why were you walking around?" she asked.

"I'm just thinking about something." Naruto said.

"Secret ninja stuff, I understand. My older brother use to be a shinobi in Hidden Mist Village. He was killed when the Kaguya clan went nuts." She explained. That's when she suddenly got excited. Naruto watched her as she made some noise in the back. She returned later with several scrolls, including one big one. She held it out to him. "Here, consider this a thank you."

"Wow, I couldn't possibly take this." Naruto said.

"Don't worry about it. My brother can't use it and I don't want them anymore. I think that it would be better serving you. You can't let your skills drop right?" She said with a smile. Naruto just blinked owlishly and took the scrolls.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto returned to Tazuna's house with the scrolls in hand. When he entered, he saw Kakashi sitting with a book in his hand. The sensei looked up and saw his blond student with the scrolls.

"What do you got there Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Someone handed me some scrolls that use to belong to her brother. I was thinking of giving these to Sasuke as an apology. I messed up sensei when we fought Haku." Naruto said.

"Now Naruto, you shouldn't feel bad just because Sakura said some harsh words to you. You know how she is." Kakashi said.

"Yeah but I still feel bad. I'll give him these smaller ones while I keep this big one." Naruto said. Kakashi just nodded and returned to his reading. Seeing that no one was around, Naruto steeled himself before sitting across from his sensei. "Hey sensei, if I ask you a serious question, will you give me an honest answer?" The question made the copy ninja raise an eyebrow. He put his book away and gave Naruto his attention.

"What do you want to know Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Do I have what it takes to be a ninja sensei?" Naruto asked. He was surprised that Naruto asked that question. Usually, he would brush anything that Sakura told him off and continue on. Sakura's words must have really stuck with him. He saw that he was waiting and faced him.

"You don't really fit the mold of a ninja Naruto. You're loud, brash and exposed. You don't use your head and tend to rush into things. You chakra control is still pretty bad but that is because you have so much of it. Your Shadow Clone Jutsu is impressive but you should be a bit more diverse in jutsu." Kakashi said. Naruto looked down at that explanation. "Still, you come up with these amazing plans out of nowhere. You are great when it comes to group battles. I can count on you if things get bad. You have the potential to become great Naruto you just have to focus."

"You really think I can be great?" Naruto asked.

"I truly and honestly think that you can become great Naruto." Kakashi said with an eye smile. He ruffled the boy's hair and was happy to see him smile.

_**X-X-X**_

After a week, the team returned to Konoha. After speaking with the Hokage, Kakashi allowed the team to rest for the week. Naruto took this time to follow some advice that Kakashi gave him. He went to see Iruka, who decided to give him some books. They were books on taijutsu, chakra control, genjutsu detection and other various things. Iruka helped him and became his tutor. It was rough but Naruto stuck to it.

He was now sitting on a park bench, looking through a taijutsu manual. The manual had several styles but Naruto found them to be too hard or too stupid. He sighed in frustration and wondered what the hell he was going to do. Suddenly a shadow fell over him. Naruto looked up to see Shikamaru standing before him.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing with a book?" Shikamaru asked.

"What do you think I'm doing? I was reading." Naruto said.

"No really, what are you doing with a book?" Shikamaru asked again.

"You think that you're so funny, don't ya? Anyway, I was looking through this manual to find a taijutsu style that would fit me. Iruka-sensei is helping me relearn the academy style but that just doesn't suit me." Naruto said.

"Well, good luck with that." Shikamaru said and was about to walk off when Naruto stopped him.

"Hey, do you know anyone who is good at taijutsu?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru paused for a while before looking at him.

"My sensei, Asuma, is pretty good. I can take you to him if you want." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, that would be really helpful Shikamaru." Naruto said. He stood and followed the Nara heir.

_**X-X-X**_

"So, you're looking for a style that would suit you?" Asuma asked. He had a cigarette in his mouth as he faced the two boys. He was surprised that Shikamaru seeked him out until he told him the reason. He looked Naruto over and attempted to decide on what to do. "What about asking Kakashi for help?"

"I would if I could find him. I thought I had him when he went to that store but it turned out to be a straw dummy. I'm using that as a punching bag." Naruto explained.

"Well, I don't know what can help you with. Truth is, I'm not the best taijutsu fighter out here." Asuma informed him.

"Well, do you mind if we spar and you can tell me what I need work on?" Naruto asked. Asuma nodded and the two took fighting stance. The spar lasted for a while as Naruto threw punches and kicks at the bearded jōnin. Asuma was impressed that the boy barely looked winded but he was concerned about Naruto's fighting style, if you could call it that. He would have to ask his father to look into the academy teachers. After another ten minutes, Asuma called for a stop. Naruto was a little confused by why he stopped the spar.

"What's wrong? I still have some energy to burn." Naruto said.

"Yes, I know but I have seen enough Naruto. Just out of curiousity, who was you taijutsu instructor?" Asuma asked.

"It was Mizuki." Naruto answered with a tone. Asuma nodded his head in understanding.

"Ok, here are the facts Naruto. Your taijutsu is horrible and it will take a lot of work to fix. However, I can help you with your stance and footwork. How long do you have before you go back on duty?" he asked.

"Three days." He answered.

"That should be enough time. So, meet me here at noon and we can get started." Asuma said. Naruto nodded and thanked him for his help. He left the training grounds to return home.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto dragged himself home and to his bed. He fell on his mattress with a thud. After a few seconds, he managed to roll onto his back. He stared at the ceiling and released a sigh. He had underestimated Asuma-sensei. He assumed that he was like Shikamaru and would be a little laid back. He learned in these three days that Asuma was not like that at all. The smoking jōnin explained to him that he was going to fix his stance and improve his footwork. He did this in two ways. To improve his stance, he had him assume a stance when his fist was to his face and his arms in tight. His feet were apart slightly. This was to help his defensives as he was not allow any tennis balls to hit his chest or face. Asuma threw the balls at various speeds, confusing and annoying him. He was getting better but was far from perfect.

To improve his footwork, he used the same method only Naruto had to avoid the tennis balls while in the stance Asuma taught him. He enlisted the help of Choji and Shikamaru. The balls came at him at various speeds and volumes, forcing Naruto to move faster. He would trip up and get bombarded but he also improved bit by bit. What made these exercises so exhausting was that they didn't stop until he dropped. Since he always had such high stamina, the exercises seem to go on forever. Still, he was thankful for the training and promised to keep up with it. The Shadow Clone jutsu would help him greatly.

As he laid on his bed, he turned and looked at the wooden scroll he picked up in the Wave. He had forgot about that scroll when he got into his training. He forced himself to get up and made his way to the scroll. He un-rolled it and was surprised to see a symbol. It looked like a big circle with several rings within it. Under it were nine red magatama. He was very confused until he read the words next to it.

_To my sons and/or descendents,_

_My name is Chishiki, known as the Sage of the Six Paths. This scroll is my will and testament to my descendants who will one day gain the eyes of a God. Use this scroll and let my knowledge help you in mastering your new powers. May this scroll also help you in life. Do not allow your power to corrupt the good that I brought to the world. May this help you find and understand everyone and all things. I wish you great success and longevity._

Naruto was scratching his head. Who was the Sage of the Six Paths? Was that someone they talked about in class? He decided to ask Iruka-sensei after his meeting and missions. Maybe he might know something. Unknown to him, a force that was placed in him since birth began to stir. It was as if something was calling to him. He wondered what this feeling was.

_**X-X-X**_

Asuma walked into a bar after another D-rank mission. Tomorrow, he would be taking his team on their first C-rank. He felt that they were ready and had asked for one. Shikamaru might be annoyed but he would get over it. Knowing that he would be gone for a while, he decided to get a drink or two with Kurenai. They agreed to meet at this bar. His eyes landed on her but she was not alone. Anko, Kakashi and Genma was with her. She sent him a hidden message which he received. He went up to the table and attacked surprised to see them.

"Hey guys, funny seeing you here." Asuma greeted.

"Hey smoke-stack, are you going to join us?" Anko asked.

"Sure, I'm taking my team on their first C-rank and I can use a few." Asuma said. He sat next to Kurenai and ordered something to drink. As he waited, he attention was grabbed by Genma. "I'm sorry Genma, what were you asking me?"

"I was asking you about your team." Genma said.

"They're interesting. It takes a little to motivate both Shikamaru and Choji. Ino's a little too loud and bossy. In all, they are a great team. What about you guys?" Asuma asked.

"Hinata is still a bit shy but she is improving. Kiba is way too brash and it is a headache to deal with him. Shino is my most trusted student but I wish he would open up more. They all have the ability to be a great team." Kurenai said.

"My team needs a bit of work. Sasuke is arrogant and believes his team to be a burden. Sakura is still very much a fan-girl and does not take things seriously. Naruto is like Kiba in a lot of ways but I am happy to say that he is beginning to take this seriously. Our C-rank was an eye-opener for him and he is doing things to change himself. Iruka has been a great help." Kakashi said.

"Expect some more from the kid Kakashi. He has some potential in him." Asuma said.

"Something I should know?" Kakashi asked.

"He came to me for some help with his taijutsu. I've improved his stance and his footwork. You may want to help him find a style." Asuma said.

"Well then, your drink is on me. Thanks for helping him." Kakashi said. Asuma nodded and the group went into other topics.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Authors' Notes: **_I would like to apologize to all my fans for my careless act. I deleted this story without good reason and I am very sorry. I have decided to rewrite this story and make it much better than before. There will be more detail in the chapters and much more story. I don't really have a good reason for why I took the story down but that means nothing. I only hope that my reviewers forgive my decision and continue reading. Again, I apologize for my stupid decision and I hope you enjoy the re-write of this story.

If you haven't noticed that the first chapter has changed a lot from the last one. It stays within the realm of what I had but it does have some differences. I did feel that I made Naruto improve a bit to quickly. In the last one I gave him six days of training with Asuma. Even with six days, he couldn't have improved that much. I'm gooing to have Naruto develop at a much slower pace but he with still kick a lot of ass.__


	2. Chapter 2

Team Kakashi was waiting for Kakashi to arrive like usual. They all stood on the bridge and waited for their tardy sensei to arrive. Naruto was get bored just waiting for their late teacher and it showed on his face. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he decided to go over to one of the post near the memorial stone. He faced the post and got into that stance that Asuma showed him. As he was in that stance, he threw punches and kicks at the post. He was still get use to the stance as his kicks and punches looked sloppy. His two teammates watched him.

"What is that idiot doing? He's going to wear himself out before we get a mission." Sakura said. Sasuke just scoffed at the scene and went back to brooding. As Naruto continued to throw attacks, Sakura just smiled mockingly at him. "Look at him, he's just so bad."

"You're not any better Sakura." Voice said from behind her. She shrieked and jumped a few feet into the air. Sakura spun to face Kakashi and glared at him.

"Don't do that!" Sakura exclaimed. "You're late!" she added, making Kakashi smile at her. He looked back to see Naruto jogging up to them. He did see the stance that Naruto was in and had to admit that it suited him. He realized that it would take him a short while to get used to it. It gave him an idea on what to do today.

"Okay guys, today we won't be doing missions. Today, we will be training." Kakashi said. Sasuke and Naruto looked excited while Sakura looked uninterested. Kakashi did a familiar seal and two clones appeared. "Okay then, I will be taking each of you to a different part of the training grounds and work with you. Let's get to it." The original took Sasuke while one clone took Sakura and another took Naruto. Once they were out of sight, Kakashi faced Naruto.

"So what are we going to work on Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I think we will continue working on your taijutsu. I do like the stance that Asuma taught you. It fits you well but you have not gotten use it yet. I wanted to ask you, do you have a particular style?"

"Well, the academy style was never really my style. I did try some other styles but they were too hard. I just took certain things and mixed them up." Naruto explained.

"So you're a jumble of different techniques? This could be good or bad depending on how we go about this. For most of the morning, we will continue working on that stance and some simple punches and kicks." Kakashi said.

"Okay sensei." Naruto said and he got into his stance. The clone and Naruto worked on the stance and his movement until lunch. Kakashi stopped him and got Naruto's attention. "Okay Naruto, I want you to list all those taijutsu techniques that you have learned and we will pick up this tomorrow. Let's go and get some lunch." Naruto nodded and made his way to the bridge as the clone dispelled. Kakashi got the info from the clone and was very impressed with Naruto. He was the good out of this waste of a training session.

Sasuke was a huge pain in the butt. He decided to help the boy with his Sharingan and teach him some simple ninjutsu. The little punk kept on demanding that he show him a technique so that his Sharingan could copy it. He especially wanted to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu which he refused to teach him. He stuck to teaching him how to activate and de-activate the Sharingan. Sakura was worse. She was just so unmotivated, not wanting to get dirty and sweaty. He just showed her how to dispel genjutsu which she got pretty easily.

Kakashi just hoped that it got better in the coming days.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto was bouncing on his toes and throwing some punches before throwing a corkscrew punch at the dummy that he had. It was the first technique that he had been working on for a week. The list he made for Kakashi was pretty long. Kakashi crossed off about sixty percent of those techniques and chose fifteen that he believed that would be great for him. His stance was getting much better and his attacks were crispier than before. Kakashi and Iruka were very glad for the improvement. Now, he decided to move on to ninjutsu. Like Kakashi said, he should be more diverse with his jutsu. He had gotten some scrolls to learn from.

What gave him pause was that he didn't really trust himself to learn without supervision. Iruka was busy now with the academy and Kakashi was very focused on his taijutsu. There weren't many other jōnin he knew who could help. As he threw punches, a name suddenly appeared in his head. He could help him. After all, he was an elite tutor.

_**X-X-X**_

Ebisu looked at Naruto with a critical look. Naruto stared right back at him. It was a very long stare down that didn't have a clear winner at the moment. After a while, Ebisu sighed and looked at Naruto.

"You want me to help you with your ninjutsu? Why aren't you speaking with Kakashi about this?" Ebisu asked.

"Kakashi-sensei is focusing on my taijutsu while Iruka-sensei is helping me mentally. Kakashi-sensei says that I should have more jutsu besides the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I don't want to try anything without supervision." Naruto explained.

"That was very smart of you. Do you have an idea of what level of jutsu you should concentrate on?" he asked,

"Level?" Naruto asked in confusion. Ebisu sighed at pushed up his glasses up.

"As you probably don't know, the Shadow Clone Jutsu is a B-rank kinjutsu. The fact that you can pull it off and in bulk means that you have a very high chakra pool. Low level jutsu wouldn't work with you without some heavy chakra control exercises." Ebisu said.

"Wow, I didn't think of that. So, would that Teleportation Jutsu be out of reach for me?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe not, is that a technique you would like to learn?" Ebisu asked.

"Hell yeah! That technique is bad ass!" Naruto exclaimed. Ebisu just sighed again. He wondered if he would regret this decision.

_**X-X-X**_

Kakashi looked at his team who was doing another D-rank mission. They were still a work in progress, mostly because of Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto had improved greatly in the past two months. His taijutsu was at a level where he could hang with taijutsu fighters like the Inuzuka and some mid-level chūnin. He said mid-chūnin because of the addition the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which he began to incorporate into his taijutsu. He seemed to have found someone to help him with ninjutsu as he caught him using the Teleportation technique to get to his favorite ramen stand. He was very lucky that he waited until Sakura and Sasuke left to do so.

He decided to test the improvement of his knuckleheaded student. He waited until they finished and took them to the tower. Once they reported their mission success, he took them to their training grounds.

"Alright, my cute little genin, we're going to have a friendly spar to see where you're at. Up first, Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi said. Sasuke scoffed at Naruto but Naruto was pretty excited to test his new found skills. "Alright, this is a taijutsu only match. No strong blows or crippling attacks. Understood?" Both boys nodded and got set in their stances. Kakashi looked at both boys before dropping his hand to signal the beginning of the match. Sasuke wasted no time in trying to take out Naruto. The blond dodged the fast attack and started bouncing on his toes. Sasuke continued to attack Naruto but none of his punches or kicks was getting through Naruto's defense. It was beginning to frustrate the last Uchiha.

Naruto was just testing the rookie of the year, mostly because he was taking Kakashi's words to heart. He really had to fight the urge to rush in and was playing it cool. He was very surprised that Sasuke had so many holes in his attack. He decided to show him just how big those holes were. Sasuke threw a punch that Naruto ducked. He moved into Sasuke's guard and caught him in the side with a hook. He then hit Sasuke with a jab that surprised Sasuke. He finished the combo with a straight kick to his chest. Sasuke hit the ground but rolled to his feet. He growled and charged at him again.

Dodging his first two punches, Naruto landed two punches of his own. He dodged and countered every attack Sasuke threw. It was beginning to greatly piss off Sasuke that he was getting embarrassed like this by the dead last. He activated his Sharingan and glared at the blond. Naruto saw this and readied himself for a tougher spar. Sasuke increased his speed and pressure. Naruto was hard pressed to keep up with Sasuke. Still, he was able to land some shots that made Sasuke pause and retreat. He suddenly ducked a punch that Sasuke over-reached and lashed out with a kick to the gut. Sasuke was sent flying and hit the ground with a thud.

Sasuke stood and snarled at him. He started to do hand seals but was stopped by Kakashi who grabbed his arms and placed them behind Sasuke. It was the same position that Kakashi place him in during the bell test.

"That will be enough of that. Naruto is the winner of the spar via disqualification." Kakashi said.

"What? But you interfered in the match! Naruto should be disqualified!" Sakura exclaimed. Kakashi looked at her with a narrowed eye and Sakura gulp in fright.

"What were the rules of the match? This was a friendly taijutsu spar, which means no jutsu. Sasuke was about to use a jutsu just because he was not getting his way and got frustrated. He should have lost when he used his Sharingan but I allowed it to slide. Are you saying that I should have allowed Sasuke to use a fire jutsu on your comrade?" Kakashi asked with an edge.

"I didn't mean…" Sakura began but was cut off by the look in Kakashi's eye. She bowed her head in shame and remained quiet. Kakashi scoffed at her and faced Naruto.

"Naruto, you are excused for the rest of the day. Enjoy your victory and have Ichirakus put the bill on me. I have to talk to your teammates for a bit." Kakashi said.

"Alright sensei!" Naruto exclaimed and made his way to the ramen stand.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto was at home, reading some scrolls. After having some bowls of ramen, he decided to get to studying. As he was studying some scrolls, his attention was diverted to the wooden scroll that he got from the Wave Country. He wasn't very interested in it after reading the first paragraph but something was telling him to continue reading. He put aside the material he was reading and made his way over to the scroll. He opened it and read it. As he read and was getting bored, he saw that this guy was giving instruction on how to master the elements. All the elements were there and he was giving some clear instructions on how to master them.

He quickly recanted his last statement about the scroll and continued to read the scroll eagerly. Unknown to him, his prisoner was reading along with him. He was very surprised to see that Naruto had gotten his hand on such a scroll he smirked at the possibilities that Naruto could have with this in his possession. Perhaps he would not be within a weak container after all.

_**X-X-X**_

Ino was not a happy camper at the moment. She snapped a strap on one of her sandals, her teammates would not get their asses in gear when they were training and that freakish forehead rival of hers was with her Sasuke. It made her so angry that she got to be on his team. Who knows how far she sank her claws into him. Oh how she wanted to find their training grounds and have it out with her. That would show her who was top dog.

She suddenly stopped when she heard a cry of frustration. She followed it and found Naruto. He was currently in a horse stance and holding a leaf with his two hands. She watched him for a while and chuckled softly as it looked like the guy was constipated. She watched him release another cry of frustration before falling onto his back. She just sighed and walked away from the area. Whatever that moron was doing, she didn't want to be involved with it.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Author's Notes:**_One of the problems that I recognized with the original chapter was that I made Naruto too strong, too quick. I was also disappointed in the fact that I made Kakashi so slow. He could stop Sasuke easy if he got out of control. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi watched as his team worked on a fence. He had his book in his pouch this time as he did not wish for any screw ups. It had been a week since the spar and he couldn't believe how things had gotten. The issue was his two other students trying to bully their teammate. He just sighed as he could not believe the behavior of the 'Rookie of the Year' and 'Top Kunoichi'. It started when Sasuke challenged Naruto for a rematch without his knowledge. He was very happy when Naruto did not fight him and let Sasuke know that it wasn't going to happen unless he was there. Sasuke called him a coward but Naruto did not take the bait.

Sakura relentlessly berated Naruto for hitting Sasuke. It got to the point that Naruto got tired of it and told her to leave him alone. Sakura did not take kindly to that and attempted to hit him. The keyword being attempted as Naruto dodged her punch. She tried again but Naruto blocked it. After another punch, Naruto slipped into her defense and swept her leg from under her, sending her to the ground. Sakura and Naruto were surprised by it. Naruto tried to apologize but Sakura wasn't listening. He could see that Naruto was down about it but he hoped that it would end his little crush on her.

Lucky for him, Naruto was not frustrated by the actions of his teammates. He just kept on improving his skills, becoming a much better ninja. Iruka helped him out mentally when he had time. When he could not help him, Ebisu stepped in and helped. This would be because Kakashi asked him to, telling the elite instructor that he would help Naruto with his jutsu. In addition in helping Naruto with his taijutsu, he taught Naruto the Water Clone Jutsu and the Earth Style: Underground Move Jutsu. It truly helped the young blond come up with some incredible ideas.

While proud of this development, he was worried about the team. Because of that spar, their teamwork had drop rapidly. It wasn't Naruto fault but he was concerned that Sasuke and Sakura may do something that would completely destroy the team. He didn't know what he would think about that. He just hoped that Sasuke got over his lost to Naruto so that the team could function well.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto was get very frustrated with this damn exercise. He was doing all the things that the scroll had told him to do. How hard could this really be? He so wanted to control fire because he had a dream of launching balls of fire from his hands. Yet this exercise was getting annoying. As the scroll said, he was to hold a leaf in between his fingers after he lit the middle of it with a match. He was to send his chakra into the leaf and keep the leaf from burning through. He also had to do some type of breath to match his chakra. It sounded so easy but he found out that it was incredibly hard.

After another failure, he let out a loud shout. That shout attracted the attention of a certain blond haired kunoichi.

"Geez Naruto, must you be so loud?" Ino asked. Naruto looked at her and wondered what she was doing here.

"Hey Ino, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I pass by this place on my way home. What are you doing?" Ino asked.

"Training. This new exercise is kicking my ass. I want to figure this out on my own but I might have to ask Kakashi-sensei for his advice." Naruto said.

"If I was you I would ask everyone for help. You are the dead-last after all." Ino said with a smirk.

"Does that make you feel superior or something?" Naruto asked with a frown. While he knew that he was a poor student, he had made great strides in getting better. Iruka, Ebisu and Kakashi had said so. Ino noticed the tone and she did not like how he spoke to her.

"You just need to accept your shortcomings Naruto. You're just not that good." Ino said smugly.

"This is coming from a girl who has a family of shinobi and lost out to Sakura for 'Top Kunoichi'." Naruto countered. Ino balled her fist and glared at Naruto.

"Hey," Ino began but she was cut off by Naruto.

"Look, I'm really busy in becoming a better ninja so that I help my team. So, I'm going to leave and let you get back to fixing your hair for the teme." Naruto said. With a wave, Naruto used the Teleportation Jutsu to leave. Ino was shocked but it was not by Naruto using that technique. It was because the dead-last had just told her off, then interrupted her and finally ignored her. Her shock quickly turned in anger. She would not allow this to stand. The next time she saw the blond, he was going to get an earful and a beating. No one blew Ino Yamanaka off and got away with it.

_**X-X-X**_

"Is something the matter Naruto?" Iruka asked him.

"Nah, it's probably nothing." Naruto said. Honestly, he felt a cold shiver go up his spine. It was as if death was after him. He shrugged it off and faced Iruka. He ran into the chūnin after he escaped Ino. The instructor offered to treat him to some ramen and he accepted. Still, it did not stop him for his current thoughts. "Hey sensei, do you know what your nature affinity is?" Iruka blinked at the question but decided to answer.

"Actually, I do not know my nature affinity. That's a little out of your realm Naruto. While you have been improving, that is a jōnin exercise." Iruka said.

"But Iruka-sensei," Naruto whined. "If I can finally get this exercise down, I could be slinging fire around like that. The scroll that I read it from has exercises on how to do for all the elements." Iruka was confused by what he said. He never got him a scroll with that type of information.

"What scroll?" Iruka asked.

_**X-X-X**_

Hiruzen look at the scroll and was mildly surprised. In his office, Iruka and Kakashi stood with him. Hiruzen rolled up the scroll and put it down on his desk.

"He certainly has the luck of his mother. When did get this scroll?" Hiruzen asked.

"It was during our mission in the Wave Country. I must apologize Lord Hokage. I should have checked the scroll." Kakashi said.

"It does not matter. However, we have our hands on a great piece of history. I always thought that the Sage of the Six Paths was a myth." Hiruzen said.

"So what do we do about Naruto? He seems certain that he would be getting that back." Iruka said.

"I will explain it to him why I will hold it for him. When you feel that he is ready to learn about his affinity Kakashi, I will give it back to him. It is his by right and it would further his understanding of ninjutsu. Just bring him by later." Hiruzen ordered. The two nodded and left. It would be an hour later, when Naruto was brought before the Hokage. The boy stood in front of him.

"You wanted to see me old man?" Naruto asked.

"Yes Naruto. It is about your scroll. I wanted to let you know that I will be holding onto it for a while." Hiruzen said.

"But," Naruto began but was stopped by Hiruzen.

"Naruto, the contents of this scroll is very valuable. If anyone knew that you had a scroll such as this, it could bring you untold troubles." Hiruzen said.

"How could that be? It's a shinobi's last will and testament. Who is this guy?" Naruto asked with annoyance.

"He is the birth father of the jutsu we use today." Seeing the surprise on Naruto's face, Hiruzen continued. "Yes Naruto, you are the owner of the scroll of the Sage of the Six Paths also known as the God of Shinobi. Do you understand the importance of this scroll?" Naruto just nodded at the question. "Good. I am not taking it from you Naruto. It was given to you, thus making you the owner of the scroll. I will make a note of that and place it an undisclosed location for safe keeping. When Kakashi deems you worthy to learn from it, it will be returned to you. Does that seem fair to you?" Hiruzen asked.

"I guess. Still, it would have been cool to learn how to control fire." Naruto said. Hiruzen just smiled at him.

"Anyway, I do have something for you." Hiruzen said. He held out two scrolls for him. Naruto looked at the scrolls and back at Hiruzen. "They contain two techniques from two very dear people. I believe that it would be happy to see those techniques used again."

"Wow, what are they?" Naruto asked with excitement.

"One is called the Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu. This can be used with kunai as well. The other is called the Ninja Art: Whirlpool Vortex."

"This is so awesome. Thanks a lot old man." Naruto said and ran out of the office to get started on his new techniques. Hiruzen just smiled at him. He looked at the Yondaime's picture with a smile.

"Minato, Kushina, may those two techniques help your son grow." He whispered.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto spared with Kakashi. The jōnin was just defending but he was very impressed with his blond student. Within two months, he had become a very good ninja. His library of jutsu had grown, his taijutsu was great, he was able to tell that he was in a genjutsu and his tactics was impressive. His brash attitude was toned down some and he was serious when the time called for it. If he was honest with himself, Naruto could make chūnin should he take the exam.

Kakashi caught Naruto's fist and flipped him onto his back. Naruto let loose an 'oomph' and laid there for a while. Kakashi gave him a smile.

"That was pretty good Naruto. Was that a combination of the Teleportation Jutsu and Clone Jutsu?" Kakashi said.

"Nah, I was reading up on one of the teme's relatives. Shisui is his name. I read that he was so good using the Teleportation technique that he could create afterimages. I'm still not as fast as him but I'll get there." Naruto said.

"Don't mention that in front of Sasuke however. He might not appreciate that." Kakashi said.

"He needs to just chill out. He and Sakura both need too. I don't understand what their problem is." Naruto said. He was at his wits end with the two. Sasuke just kept asking him for another spar. He got that spar about two weeks ago. He was allowed to use his Sharingan this time. He admitted that fighting Sasuke was a lot more difficult with it on but he was narrowly able to pull out a victory. That did not sit well with the last Uchiha who looked ready to roast him. Since then, he could feel the brooder following him.

Sakura was worst. He didn't know why she was getting on him just because he beat Sasuke. She would berate him and even made a comment that hurt him greatly. He still liked her but it was fading fast. The one thing that changed was that she did not try to hit him anymore. He also removed the 'chan' from the end of her name. He just couldn't understand why they were acting like he was the enemy. Shouldn't they be happy that he was improving?

"Don't worry about it Naruto. Just leave them alone for a while and they would come around." Kakashi said.

"I hope that you're right Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto was walking toward Ichirakus after another mission. He idly wondered if he had forgotten something that he promised someone. He shrugged it off as it probably wasn't important. As he continued on his way, he heard Konohamaru's voice. Worried about his friend, he made his way over to where he heard the voice. He arrived to see Konohamaru being chased by Sakura. He saw his friends following behind him. Not wanting to see his friend get hurt, Naruto teleported and snatched him up in mid-run. He landed on a branch and placed him next to him. Sakura was very confused until Naruto made himself known.

"Naruto, hand that kid over!" Sakura demanded.

"Not until you calm down. I don't know what's going on but whatever he did or said doesn't mean that you can bully him." Naruto said.

"I'm getting sick of your attitude Naruto. You think just because you beat Sasuke by luck that your top dag but the truth is that you're still a dead-last!" Sakura spat.

"At least I'm doing something! You're considered the 'Top Kunoichi' but you just as bad as Ino is. Maybe if you put a little effort into your training, you wouldn't be so far behind me or Sasuke!" Naruto spat right back. Sakura was seething at his words and looked ready to try something. She was stopped by an unfamiliar voice.

"I thought Konoha-nin valued friendship and all that garbage." The male voice said. Naruto looked at the two teenagers and wondered who they were. He saw their forehead protectors and noticed that they were from Suna. From his studies with Iruka, Konoha and Suna were allies. Still, that didn't mean that they could walk around freely.

"Are you guys here on a mission from Suna? I know that we're allies but without identification, you're not allowed to walk around freely." Naruto said.

"Wow, haven't you seen the foreigners entering your village?" the girl asked mockingly.

"You'll have to forgive me. I have been busy with my training to notice. But with what you said, that means that the chūnin exams are being held here." Naruto said. That was another thing he learned from Iruka. He knew that it was a bi-annual exam that every nation participated in.

"Good guess, you're not as out of the loop as I first thought." The girl said.

"I have a great tutor. Anyway, I apologize for our behavior and for delaying you. If you don't mind, I'll be going with my young friends here." Naruto said. He led Konohamaru and his friends out of the area. When they were far enough, Konohamaru looked at Naruto.

"Thanks boss from saving me from that harpy." He said.

"No problem but why was she chasing you?" Naruto asked.

"She was bad mouthing you, boss. Konohamaru didn't like it and insulted her. She got really angry and began to chase him." Moegi explained. Naruto just sighed at that. He was really getting sick of this. He didn't like that Sakura would just chase Konohamaru like that. This put a really damper on his feelings for her. He quickly shook it off and took his friends to Ichirakus.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke waited for Kakashi to arrive. Naruto stood as far away from the two. He didn't really feel like being around them. After he had lunch with the Konohamaru Corps, Naruto began to think about his teammates. He didn't understand what their problem was. He was training so that he would no longer be a burden to his team, like Sakura told he was bad in the Wave. He got help for others and he was improving at a rate that he thought they would appreciate. He thought that this would have brought the team together. Boy, how wrong he was.

He then thought about the chūnin exams. He knew that it was an exam to go up in rank. He wondered if Kakashi would nominate the team. He really wanted to show how much he had improved. He also hoped that he could go up in rank. While he wanted to get closer to his teammates, he was beginning to see that it would not happen. He sighed and made his way toward a training ground.

_**X-X-X**_

Every jōnin and chūnin was standing before the Hokage. It was that time again. The chūnin exams were upon them and they were there to make the choice of which team would participate. Hiruzen got everyone's attention and the noise died down.

"Okay, as you know, the chūnin exams are being held in Konoha this year. I would like to hear if you will nominate your teams." Hiruzen said. Kakashi stepped forward and faced his aged leader.

"I, Kakashi Hatake, nominate team seven, which contains Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki." He said. Kurenai stepped forward.

"I, Kurenai Yūhi, nominate team eight, which contains Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyūga and Kiba Inuzuka." She said. Asuma stepped forward.

"I, Asuma Sarutobi, nominate team ten, which contains Chōji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara." He said. Everyone was muttering and whispering about what just happened. Iruka wanted to say something but held his tongue. He decided to confront the three jōnin after the meeting. After a few more jōnin entered their teams, the Hokage dismissed the group. Iruka left to catch up with the three and called out to them.

"Hey Iruka, is there something wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, I was wondering if it is okay that you nominated your teams. They are still very young and these exams can crush them." Iruka said.

"I understand your concerns but I am confident that my team will do well. You should have a little more confidence in them. You helped throughout the academy and prepared them for the ninja world. I know that they will do well in these exams." Kakashi said.

"Okay but what about your team? Aren't you a little concerned about the relationship of your team?" Iruka countered.

"A little but when it comes down to it I know that they will come together when the time comes. Don't worry so much about it." Kakashi said with an eye smile. Iruka just sighed and decided to trust the three jōnin.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto looked at the form that Kakashi had given to them. It was an entrance form to the chūnin exams which would be starting in two days. It didn't give him a lot of time to train. He decided to search out Iruka. He found the man about to leave the academy.

"Hey Iruka-sensei, do you have a second?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, what can I do for you today?" Iruka asked.

"I was hoping that you and I can have a little spar." Iruka looked at him with surprise. Naruto decided to elaborate further. "Kakashi-sensei nominated us for the chūnin exams. I've was excited at first but I kept wondering if I was ready for the exams. So, I wanted to spar with you, a chūnin, to see if I can hang with you." He said. Iruka couldn't believe his luck. Despite trusting Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai, he went to the Hokage who allowed him to test the rookies. He was glad that Naruto was being so mature.

"Fine, let's go to the sparing circle." Iruka said. The two walked over to the field where they had spars. The two friends stood across for each other. "Alright Naruto, you may use everything in your arsenal and I will do the same."

"Right!" Naruto said and slipped into his stance. Iruka did the same and awaited Naruto's attack. Naruto made the first move his usual. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four clones appeared and charged at Iruka. Iruka pulled out some shuriken and launched them at the clones. The clones dodged the attack and continued their charge. He prepared himself but suddenly lost his footing. The ground below him began to suck him down. He cursed as the clones closed on him. He covered himself as the clones began to wail on him.

The clones stood over the downed Iruka who had half of his body sunk into the ground. They were on alert as it seems to be way too easy. One of the clones put their hands in the 'rat' seal and unleashed a bit of his chakra. It dispelled the genjutsu that Iruka had used. That's when an explosion caught the four clones and dispelled them. Naruto was wondering what the hell just happened when he quickly rolled out of the way. He jumped into the air and threw three shuriken. Iruka blocked them with a kunai and charged at Naruto. Naruto landed and met his charge.

The two engaged in a taijutsu match. Iruka was only countering Naruto but that was few and in-between. Naruto's taijutsu had improved greatly and it was effective. It was as if his style was meant to slow him down and to be painful. Iruka found and opening and threw a hook at Naruto. He was surprised that the hook passed right through him. That's when Naruto appeared and launched a powerful punch to his side and sent his to the ground. That is when the spar ended.

Naruto ran to his teacher who was holding his side.

"Oh man, Iruka-sensei! Are you alright?" Naruto asked with worry.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes Naruto." Iruka said. He looked at his former student. "Was that a Corkscrew Punch?"

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei allowed me to use it since I can take some damage." Naruto said with a grin.

"But what was that move from before? It wasn't a Clone Jutsu that you switched with." Iruka said.

"Oh that, that was my Illusion Dance. I created it after I did research on this guy called Shisui Uchiha. It's not on his level but it will do for now." He explained. Iruka couldn't believe that Naruto had done a move similar to that of Shisui the Teleporter. He had no doubt now that Naruto was ready for the exams.

_**X-X-X**_

Iruka wrapped a bag of ice on his tender side. Naruto's strength was something that was very dangerous. He would be sure to practice his evasion skills. He was suddenly approached by Kakashi. The masked ninja gave him an eye smile.

"So, how were they?" Kakashi asked.

"I agree with your and the others decision. They are ready for the chūnin exams." Iruka said with a wince.

"Naruto did a number on you huh? His style is pretty impressive. I've never thought to use low kicks, knees and elbows. Also, I've never want to be caught in his clench." Kakashi said.

"I'm still a little worried about your team, Kakashi. Naruto talks to me about the situation. Are you sure that you can trust Sakura and Sasuke?" Iruka asked.

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't concerned but I trust that they will be able to put their difference aside and work like a team." Kakashi said. Iruka just nodded at his answer.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto took a seat while Sasuke and Sakura surveyed the room. He checked his equipment again just in case he forgot something. He was nervous, that much was sure. He had a right to be as he remembered what he saw earlier. After Sasuke disrupted the genjutsu on the second floor, a bonehead move he thought, they were confronted by a genin called Rock Lee. The spandex wearing shinobi challenged Sasuke to spar. Naruto tried to stop it but Sasuke wouldn't listen. In the end, Sasuke was soundly beaten by the genin. What Naruto took for it was that there was some very tough competition in these exams.

His attention was taken away when Ino put herself on notice. Naruto ignored it and continued to check his equipment. When he was done, he put his pouch back on his belt. He looked up and was surprised that Ino was right in his face. He blinked a few times before noticing the angry look on her face.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked.

"Who do you think you are Uzumaki? How dare you blow me off like that?" Ino asked with an edge.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. Just because I told you the truth, doesn't give you the right to act like a jerk." Ino said loudly. That's when it clicked for Naruto as to why Ino was angry with him.

"Are you still hard up on that day? First off, you were insulting me as I was training to improve my skills. If I'm not taking that from Sakura anymore, then why should I take it from you?" Naruto asked. The rookies noticed the missing 'chan' and was wondering what was going on. "Secondly, what did I say about you and Sakura that wasn't true? You come from a ninja clan, Sakura is a civilian. You have the edge over her yet she gained 'Top Kunoichi' honors. Am I wrong?" Everyone watched the scene with wide eyes. Naruto was talking back to Ino and make a good point about it. Ino was boiling with rage and was about to roar.

"Why you," Ino began when Naruto cut her off again.

"Hey Hinata, Kiba, Shino, are you taking the exams too?" Naruto asked. Ino looked at the blond with wide eyes. Naruto Uzumaki had just blown her off again. This was not going to stand. She was about to lay a beating on him when an older teenager stepped in view.

"You guys need to calm down. You aren't making a good impression." He said and pointed to the crowd. The rookies looked to see everyone give them the evil eye and a little bit of killer intent. Some of them looked a little scared when Naruto stepped forward. He took a deep breath and showed his intent. The elder genin were surprised by the action of the blond kid. They were certain that he was glowing in a faint blue color. The stare off ended and everyone went back to their business. Naruto just sighed and turned back to the rookies. He saw that they were looking at him with shock and awe.

"What?" Naruto asked. The elder teen pulled out a stack of cards. He began to shuffle through them until he pulled out a card. He looked at the card and then back at Naruto.

"Well, this is embarrassing. My card didn't have that skill. When did you learn how to do that?" he asked.

"It's a secret and nothing you need to know about. Exactly what were you talking about 'information'? What is that in your hand?" Naruto asked.

"Oh this," he said. He flipped the card and showed what the card had. It had a picture of Naruto, his stats and his mission history. "These are called Ninja Info Card. I have collected data on every genin in this exam from my times in taking this exam."

"How many times have you taken the exam?" Sakura asked.

"This will be my seventh time. The name is Kabuto Yakushi by the way." He answered.

"Seventh time, you must really suck!" Kiba mocked.

"I assure you that the exam is very difficult. I would not be so cocky in thinking that you would have an easy time." Kabuto said.

"These cards, you have information on everyone in this room?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, even the rookies. Why, are you interested in someone?" Kabuto asked.

"Rock Lee of Konoha and Gaara of the Desert." Sasuke said.

"That's no fun. You know their names." Kabuto said. He shuffled through his deck and pulled out two cards. "Here they are."

"Show me." Sasuke demanded.

"Okay. The first one is Rock Lee, rank genin. He is the member of team Guy with Tenten and Neji Hyūga. His mission history is fourteen D-rank missions, five C-rank missions and one B-rank. He has no talent in genjutsu and ninjutsu but his taijutsu skills are off the charts. The second on is Gaara of the Desert, rank genin. He is the member of team Baki with his siblings, Temari and Kankuro. His mission history is zero D-rank missions, five C-rank missions, five B-rank missions and two A-rank missions. On each mission, he has come back from without a scratch on him." Kabuto told the group.

Naruto was shocked at this. Seeing the picture, he turned to face the one called Gaara. He saw the he was wearing a black full body suit with t-shirt-like sleeves, ¾-length legs, and an open neck. With this, he wore a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips, and a wide leather band system over the left shoulder and right side of his hips. With this leather band, he carried around his gourd that contains his sand. He also wrapped his forehead protector over the band. He saw the rings around his eyes and the look that promised pain should anyone crossed him.

He looked very dangerous but couldn't understand how he could do such mission and now receive and injury. Did he have some type of defense that was not known? He had read about the Third Kazekage from his studies with Iruka and how he had a similar defense. He was so into his thoughts that he missed Kabuto getting attacked. He was brought out of them when several chūnin and one jōnin alerted everyone.

The chūnin exams were about to begin.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto let out a sigh of relief when they left the academy room. He sighed because he was happy that he was able to get pass the first part of the chūnin exams. When it was discovered that it was a written exam, he nearly had a heart-attack. Despite Iruka's help, Naruto was still woefully underprepared. He just wasn't that book smart. He did enjoy learning from jutsu scrolls and tactic scrolls but stuff like history, economics and politics just bored him to death. When he saw the test, he almost had another heart-attack. There was no way that he could answer any of these questions. He knew that he had to cheat.

He was able to do a clever switch with someone two seats in front of him. He had to first create a diversion in which he got a ninja from Takigakure and a ninja from Amegakure get into a little brawl. He then created a clone and had it transform into Akamaru. The clone then bit the guy he was going to steal from. His clone dispelled and he was able to switch papers. Kiba got the blame and had two points deducted. Naruto was a little uneasy about that since Hinata sat right by him but he wasn't going to be the one to get his team kicked out so soon.

After a mental attack by the first examiner, he told everyone that they passed and the hidden meaning behind the test. He was surprised that they wanted them to cheat. He was very glad that Ibiki did not call him out on his little plan even though he said that it was genius. When he finished his explanation, a black ball crashed through the window. The ball unraveled and appeared was a very sexy looking woman. The banner behind her introduced her as Anko Mitarashi, the second examiner. As a joke, he put up a card that had an 8.5 score on it. She actually pouted at the score. She berated Ibiki for the amount of teams left and told everyone that she was going to cut that down to half.

She led them all to a training ground. The place had to be special as it was surrounded by a gate with barbwire on the top of it. Anko told them that this was training ground forty-four, a. k. a. the Forest of Death. That did little to ease Naruto's nerves. Anko began to explain the test. It looked like they were going to be on a five day, seek and capture mission. The thing that they need to capture was the opposite scroll that each team was given. One was called the 'heaven' scroll and the other was called the 'earth' scroll. She also had out wavers as killing would be allowed in this part of the test. After the explanation, Anko gave some advice that just made everyone worry a little more.

Team seven entered a tent which hid everyone from view. They received the 'heaven' scroll, which meant that they had to get the 'earth' scroll. Sasuke immediately put himself as leader and he did not argue with him. He needed to at least be civil with him and Sakura as they would need to be a team for this part of the exam. He did switch scrolls, placing their scroll in Sakura's pouch. It made sense since no one would expect Sakura of having the scroll. Anyone who opened that scroll would be in for a nasty surprise.

They were led to their gate and waited for the exam to begin. The chūnin at their gate unlocked it and opened the gates wide. They shot in without pause.

_**X-X-X**_

It had been almost an hour since they entered the forest and Naruto wondered if he should have fought Sasuke for leadership. He figured that he had a plan but his plan was to walk around until they found someone with their scroll. To him, it was a bad idea. He looked to his left and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Hey, I'm going to take a leak." Naruto said.

"Eww, don't say such things in front of a lady idiot!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Hey, maybe you should tone it down a bit. We are in a forest filled with people who would love to kill us." Naruto said sarcastically. He walked away and entered the bush. Sakura huffed and made some comment about the blond. It didn't take long before Naruto returned.

"Alright then, let's get going." Naruto said. Sasuke nodded and they began to leave. Two seconds later, Sasuke attacked Naruto. Naruto was very surprised by the attack and was caught off guard. A spin kick to his jaw sent him flying into a tree. Naruto stood up and spat out a little bit of blood. "What the hell is your problem?"

"When you're trying to impersonate someone, make sure that you get everything right. The holster is on the wrong leg. 'Naruto' chuckled but a puff of smoke revealed a genin from the Hidden Rain.

"That's pretty good." He said before pulling out a kunai. "Let's see how good you really are." The two jumped at each other. They were moving so fast that Sakura couldn't keep up. All she could hear was the clash of their kunai. The exchange lasted for a little while longer before they both landed across from each other. The Ame genin chuckled again. "You're not half bad. A pity because if you don't give me what I want, you'll lose this part of the exam."

"I seriously doubt that." A voice said. The Ame genin looked up but had to move as something was coming at him. It turned out to be one of his teammates. Someone landed on the ground and he saw his other partner over his shoulder. In Naruto's hand was a 'heaven' scroll.

"B-But, how?" the genin stuttered.

"You guys are pretty good but I've known that you've been watching us. A nice touch with the genjutsu but I've trained to be able to know when a genjutsu has been used. As for your teammates, I reversed your ambush and did one of my own. The guy you had close by with the scroll never saw it coming. They aren't dead but it'll be a while before they wake up." Naruto explained. The genin glared at Naruto but he knew that he was out numbered. He threw down some smoke pellets and made his way to his teammates. When the smoke cleared, they were gone. Naruto smirked at his team and pocketed the extra 'heaven' scroll. His smirk fell when Sakura got in his face and berated him.

He missed the look of envy in Sasuke's eyes. He was battling that Ame ninja for a while and knew that he would be a tough challenge. By the way Naruto nonchalantly explained his ambush; he felt that they weren't anything great. It burned Sasuke's pride that the dead-last was getting stronger. He had very few successes in tailing Naruto but when he did succeed, Naruto was either studying with Iruka, working on chakra control with some guy in shades or sparing with Kakashi. He wasn't learning anything that he had not seen before. He glared at the blond before walking over to stop their argument. He would need to keep a very close eye on his blond teammate.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto looked at the snake with an annoyed look. That trick that he used with his Shadow Clones was just something he came up with in a pinch. As he tried to regain his breath, he thought back to how things happened. As they continued on with Sasuke's plan, they were once again ambushed. This time, they were hit with a very power Wind Style jutsu. Sasuke was able to catch Sakura as he was sent flying away. When he landed, he was suddenly attacked by the snake he just blasted his way out of. That's when the snake vanished in a puff of smoke. That was pretty weird but Naruto didn't dwell on it. He needed to get to his team and fast.

_**X-X-X**_

Sasuke was not having a good time. He and Sakura were in the fight of their young lives. They had found the caster of that wind jutsu when she attempted the same trick as the Ame ninja did. Sasuke again was able to see through it and the two stood in front of a teenager kunoichi. She had a scroll that they could use so Sasuke challenged her. He should have taken Sakura and ran. The young woman was no genin. She was too powerful to be one. She seemed to have a creepy obsession with him and continued to chase him.

The two genin of team seven were breathing hard as the kunoichi from the Hidden Grass barely looked winded.

"I'm very disappointed in this battle. I thought that the Uchiha were so strong?" She mocked. Sasuke glared at her but he was too afraid to do anything. He was considering giving up their scroll as a bargaining chip. The Kusa kunoichi began to make a move when she was suddenly attacked from all directions with shuriken. She landed on the trunk of the tree and looked around the area. She had a small smile on her face. "Naruto-kun, is that you?"

"Sorry lady but only those I consider friends can use 'kun' and you're no friend." Naruto said. His voice seemed to be everywhere, not giving away his position. "I'm guessing that the wind jutsu and the snake were your doing?"

"I'm surprised that you survived my pet." She said.

"He ate something that did not agree with him." He said. Naruto, from his hiding spot, could see that Sasuke and Sakura were really beat up. This woman must be really good if she could have Sasuke in such a condition. "What's your purpose here?"

"What makes you think I have one?" she asked.

"You're obviously skilled. You could have easily killed Sasuke and Sakura, taken our scroll and fled. You've been toying with them." Naruto answered.

"Aren't we clever? Yes, I could have ended this little game anytime I wanted but I wanted to test the last Uchiha out. I was not impressed with him. Perhaps you would like to entertain me?" she asked. Naruto didn't say anything but stared at Sasuke. What the hell was he doing? He could have easily have attacked her while they talked. He was about to say something when he felt someone behind him. He was too late as he was sent rocketing out of his hiding spot. Naruto hit the tree branch hard and dispelled. "A Shadow Clone?"

"Nice technique, huh?" the young female turned only to be struck in the face by Naruto. She easily took the blow and backhanded him. The two landed across from each other. He didn't take his eyes off the woman. "Anytime you two want to jump in and help, now would be the time." Naruto said to Sasuke and Sakura. The woman smirked and charged at him. She had to once again dodge another round shuriken. She blocked Naruto's roundhouse and lashed out with an elbow. Naruto blocked the elbow but the power behind it sent him flying. She flipped in mid-air but was suddenly driven into the ground by another clone. Five clones came out and attacked her.

Naruto turned his attention toward Sasuke and Sakura.

"Aren't you guys going to help me?" Naruto asked.

"We need to get out of here Naruto! She'll pick us apart!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We have to slow her down first. She no genin and my clones will not last long. We need wound her enough so that we can escape." Naruto explained.

"We should just give up our scroll and run." Sasuke stated.

"Did you not hear her before? She could have ended this in a matter of moments. She's just toying with us. Guys, I need your help." Naruto said. Sasuke looked ready to give in but Sakura grabbed his arm.

"We need to get out of here. We can't fight her and win. Let that idiot Naruto cover our escape." Sakura said. Sasuke was surprised by what she was saying. She was ready to abandon Naruto just like that. Naruto was curious about what was taking so long when he had to dodge. He cursed and whipped out a kunai. He launched it at the girl.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out. The kunai tripled in amount and launched at the girl at incredible speeds. She was very surprised and was nearly skewered by the kunai. Seeing this, Sasuke was in awe and jealous. When did Naruto learn that technique? Was Kakashi teaching Naruto instead of him? With such thoughts, Sasuke made his decision. He took off with Sakura in tow. Naruto turned to see them leave and was in shock. "What the hell? Where are you guys going?"

"That's a shame." Naruto quickly turned to face the kunoichi. "I did not expect the last Uchiha to be such a coward." She then faced Naruto and smiled. "What will you do now Naruto? You are all alone and have no back-up." Naruto was shaking with rage and it was directed at his fleeing teammates. This was the ultimate form of betrayal. He couldn't believe that they would break the motto that was set by their sensei. Despite his rage, he knew that he had to protect him. She was after that bastard for some reason. They were still teammates until he got his hands on them. The woman watched as Naruto pulled out two kunai and slipped into a fighting stance.

"I don't know why you want the coward but he is still my teammate. I will protect him no matter what the cost." Naruto said with conviction. "Besides, you're not just going to let me leave."

"You are much smarter than people think. Let's see if you can keep such a promise." She said. She readied herself to attack. Naruto readied himself for the battle of his career.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto was breathing hard and could barely keep his arms up. He felt like he had been fighting for half an hour but it was actually for five minutes. He didn't know who this woman was but she was much more skilled than a regular genin. She was just toying with him and enjoying it. He had not been able to land a critical blow on her. He needed to do something fast.

The woman charged at him again. Naruto readied himself as she attacked him. The attack was fierce but Naruto manage to only get minor injuries. He managed to kick her in the face and got some separation. He threw another shuriken and did some seals.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He called out. The one turned into hundreds and converged on the teenage girl. She immediately summoned a snake that coiled around her and protected her from the barrage. Naruto knew that he was running out of time and had to do something now. He looked to the ground and suddenly got an idea. He would need to use a lot of chakra but it was his only chance.

Naruto stood on the side of a tree before running up the side of it. He entered the leaves and hid. The girl smiled and was about to give chase when she heard him call out.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. The girl was surprised at the sheer number of clones. The amount blocked out the sun. Each clone threw a shuriken at the girl. She suddenly realized what the boy was planning. She was too late however when he called out his shuriken attack. There was no way to avoid or dodge. She was consumed in steel as was the area. The number of projectiles ripped through branches and sent them all to the ground along with the teenager girl. When it was over, the ground was covered with black steel and the teenage girl was in pieces.

Naruto dispelled his clones and landed on the ground. He winced and held his head as he got one of the worst headaches ever. He fought through it and walked over to the body. Naruto looked a little sick at the corpse. It was his first kill after all.

"Is this your first kill?" the girls head said, making Naruto's eyes widen in shock. They got even wider when he was stabbed in the back. The Grass kunoichi on the ground dissolved into mud while the real Grass kunoichi held the kunai that was in Naruto's back. "That was a great plan boy. If you had acted a second sooner, I would not have the time to substitute with my Mud Clone. Lucky for you, this is only a minor wound and you will survive it."

"T-That's going to be a mistake on your part." Naruto grunted out before he 'popped' out of existence. The woman was surprised but not as surprised when the ground began to drag her down. Then the earth opened up and 'ate' her. She struggled but it was no use and she was dragged into the ground. When it was over, Naruto stepped out from behind a tree. He dropped to his knees and took several deep breaths. He figured that the Grass kunoichi would have found a way to avoid his first attack so he set up a back-up plan. The Ninja Art: Whirlpool Vortex kicked ass.

Naruto rested for a bit as he was nearly out of chakra. That would prove to be costly as something shot out of the ground and impaled him in the chest. Naruto coughed out a bit of blood and looked down to see a sword. He looked up to see the Grass kunoichi. She had a neutral look on her face. Naruto watched as she reached up to her face. He was very shocked to see her put her own face off. Once it was off, he got to see who he was dealing with. It wasn't a woman he was fight but a pale face man. He had amber eyes with slits in his pupils and purple markings around his eyes. He reached up to him and removed the sword from his chest. Naruto hit the ground with a thud. The man was about to leave when Naruto spoke.

"W-Wait…" He struggled to say. The man turned back to see that his whisker marks were darkening and his pupils were slit. He blue eyes were beginning to turn red. He quickly moved and grabbed Naruto by his collar. He used his tongue and lifted his shirt. It revealed the seal that was now visible. He acted quickly and did a seal. His fingertips lit up with purple fire.

"Five Pronged Seal!" the man shouted and thrust his hand into Naruto's gut, right over the seal. Naruto let out a primal roar before succumbing to chakra exhaustion. The man looked at the boy with a sick smiled. "It's a shame that you are the container of the Kyūbi. With your potential, you might have been the perfect body. Either way, you have impressed me enough to reward you. Consider it a token of gratitude for such a good show." He regurgitated the 'earth' scroll he swallowed earlier. He composed a note and attached it to the scroll. He then hid Naruto inside a tree truck before leaving.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto woke up later that day. He felt a small pain in his chest but it was quickly going away. He thanked whatever god that was listening for his advanced healing. He mostly credited it to the fox. Either way, the pain was fading. He looked around and noticed that he was within a tree. He then remembered the person that he was fighting. He couldn't believe that he was fighting a man all this time. He was super tough too. His hand hit something and Naruto saw that it was an 'earth' scroll. He saw the note attached to it. He carefully opened the note and read it.

_Naruto-kun,_

_I am greatly impressed with your skills. You actually made it interesting. Congratulations on keeping me from my objective. I will have to try again at a later time. For your bravery, here is the 'earth' scroll. You must now hurry to your 'teammates' or my little genin will end them on my orders._

_Orochimaru_

Naruto just could not believe who wrote this note. He knew that he was fighting someone stronger but he didn't think that he was fight one of the freaking Sannin he learned about from Iruka. This also made him angry at his 'teammates' for their abandonment. Naruto quickly stood and made his way out of the tree. He had two people to hunt.

_**X-X-X**_

Shikamaru couldn't believe how troublesome this situation had become. Why did Ino have to run her mouth about saving her 'chosen' one? Now he, Choji, Ino, Sakura, Lee and Sasuke were on the ground defeated. This Sound team was no joke. He had already figured out who each of them fought. The girl loved to use senbon and could use them to cause server damage. The spiky black haired guy could fire a combination of air waves and sound waves. The most dangerous of them was the leader. He wore a gauntlet that could amplify sound waves causing those to pass out. Together, they made a terrible force to be dealt with.

"This is a joke. Even with help, the great 'Uchiha' isn't that great." The spiky haired boy mocked. Sasuke glared at him with all the hate he could muster.

"The kunoichi aren't that much of a threat either. Such a waste." The girl added.

"Enough, Kin, Zaku. Let's just finish them off." The leader said.

"Alright already Dosu," Zaku said. He turned to face the group. "Well, you heard him. It's time to go bye-bye." He raised his arms to finish them off. He was suddenly stopped when a kunai nearly hit him in the head. The team looked up to see two more Konoha genin. "Man, you guys just keep coming out of nowhere." Before the Hyūga could speak, a series of explosions caused a huge dust cloud to appear. Everyone was confused and disoriented.

"What the hell is this?" Zaku called out.

"Calm down Zaku!" Dosu shouted. He kept his ear open for a sound and was confused as to why he didn't hear Kin. The smoke cleared and he found Kin. She was lying on the ground, not moving. The two were wondering what just happened, when Zaku was suddenly swallowed up by the earth. Dosu jumped into the air, feeling whoever was attacking them was underground. He was sudden restrained by four blondes. They raised him high before slamming him down into the ground hard. Naruto popped out of the ground and landed on Dosu's chest, knees first. Dosu gasped before passing out.

The ground was suddenly blown away and Zaku crawled out of the crater. He shook the cobwebs out and looked around. He watched as Naruto got off Dosu and faced him.

"Who the hell are you?" Zaku demanded.

"All you need to know is that you're outmatched here. You can leave with a few bruises or some major damage. It's your choice." Naruto said.

"Here's my choice! Slicing Sound Wave!" Zaku shouted. Naruto vanished leaving an after-image. Zaku was confused when Naruto appeared in front of him, his arm cocked back. Zaku quickly fired and Slicing Sound Wave but he was shocked to see that it was another after-image. He suddenly felt amazing pain on the side of his face. He was then sent flying into a tree with amazing force. He hit the tree hard and fell to the ground unconscious, the side of face gaining a huge bump.

Everyone was amazed at the display. With a few moves and carefully planned ambushes, Naruto destroyed the Sound team. The blondes' clones searched the team and managed to find an 'earth' scroll. He pocketed it and faced the others.

"Holy crap! Naruto, that was awesome!" Choji cheered. The two were had just descended from the branch had to agree with the chubby ninja. As Choji was about to congratulate him, Shikamaru stopped him. He saw that Naruto did not have his usual happy face. He walked pass them and up to his teammates. Naruto bore a hole into Sasuke who didn't look intimidated. Sakura looked worried as she saw Naruto clench and un-clench his fists.

"What do you want dobe?" Sasuke asked without care. That instantly earned him and punch to his jaw. It dropped him to the ground. Naruto then grabbed Sasuke by his collar and drove him into a tree. The force that he hit the tree at dazed the last Uchiha.

"You son of a bitch! I should beat your ass for what you did! If there was anyone I would not expect that from, it's you! Why did you and Sakura leave me to _**die**_?" Naruto roared. This surprised everyone in the area.

"Let Sasuke go Naruto! We should have run and gave up our scroll like he said we should have!" Sakura shouted.

"Do you know who you left me to fight? Orochimaru was disguised as that girl who was kicking your asses! Why would a Sannin care about a test?" Naruto spat. He turned his attention back to Sasuke. "You are nothing but a coward and a fraud. You think that you're the shit but you're nothing but talk. How are you going to fight and kill your brother when his strength dwarfs yours? Are you going to run like the little bitch that you are?"

"You will release me now!" Sasuke shouted.

"You don't make demands of me Uchiha! As far as I'm concerned, you and Sakura are no longer my teammates! You broke Kakashi's rule and to me, you two are worse than trash!" Naruto shouted back. He shoved Sasuke to the ground and spat on Sakura's foot. He jumped into the trees and was gone from sight. Sakura looked around and saw that everyone was giving her and Sasuke dirty looks.

"W-We didn't know who he was fighting." Sakura stated, trying to explain the situation.

"And does that make what you did right? You left him there to die and he should be." Shikamaru said with a tone.

"It seems that he was fated to be on such a bad team. It also seems that the Uchiha is not all that he in hyped up to be." Neji mocked. Sasuke rounded on him with a harsh glare. Ino looked at the direction that Naruto went in and decided to follow. She didn't know why but she decided to see how the blond was doing.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto splashed some water on his face, hoping the cold water would calm him down. He was still angry but it had reduced as he had gotten all he wanted to say out. He sat near the river and thought about what to do next. He knew that he would have to get to the tower and let the old man know about what happened in the forest. He would bite his anger and go with his former teammates. He had both scrolls so they wouldn't be in each other's company for long.

He suddenly heard something and pulled out a kunai. He got ready to attack until he heard the voice.

"Wait a minute Naruto! It's me Ino." She called out. Naruto relaxed his guard a little and waited until she came out. She noticed that he was still on edge but realized that they were still participating in an exam. The two just stood there for a while before Ino spoke. "So, had a rough day?" Ino cursed at her stupidity while Naruto looked at her with a deadpan look. "Sorry, I know that you've had a rough day. I was just trying to lighten you up."

"It's okay Ino. I just need some time to cool off. I can't do that in front of them." Naruto said.

"Uh, if you want, I can ask the guys to come along with you. You know, so that you can have some company to talk to." Ino said.

"You would do that just to keep me company?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Hey, do want the company or not?" Ino asked hotly. Naruto smiled for a brief moment before answering.

"Thanks Ino. Do you have both scrolls?" Naruto asked.

"We need a 'heaven' scroll." Ino said. Naruto pulled out the scroll he took from the Ame team and tossed it to Ino.

"It's a thank you for helping keep Sakura and Sasuke alive." Naruto said and walked pass her. Ino looked at the scroll and smiled. Maybe Naruto wasn't such a pain after all. She followed him back to the camp.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Authors' Notes**_- Sorry that I haven't updated in a while it has been pretty busy. I hope that you enjoy this change in this chapter. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

It took a while for Ino to return with Naruto in tow. Naruto glared at his teammates and they returned the glare. Everyone there could feel the tension between Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. Ino cut in before anything could happen.

"Hey guys," Getting Shikamaru's and Choji's attention. "We're going to be traveling with Naruto and the others to the tower. Two teams are better than one right?" Ino asked.

"How are we going to do that without a 'heaven' scroll?" Shikamaru asked. Ino answered him by holding up said scroll. Sakura noticed the scroll and was furious.

"How could you give them our scroll baka?" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto didn't answer her and just walked up to her. She prepared herself to knock his lights out but he swiped her pouch and pulled out another 'heaven' scroll. He threw her pouch back at her and walked off with both scrolls. He ignored her voice and moved on. Ino followed him as did the rest of her team. Sasuke and Sakura soon followed them.

_**X-X-X**_

As they walked toward the tower, Ino attempted to lighten the mood and tension between Naruto and his teams. Truth be told, she could not fault Naruto for being angry. On one of their breaks, Ino decided to check on Naruto's story. She entered Sakura's mind and got the truth from her memories. She couldn't believe that they would just leave him like that. She refused to speak to Sakura after learning the truth.

Ino mostly kept talking with Naruto who appreciates her help. Shikamaru and Choji also talk with him as well. Sakura couldn't understand why everybody was trying so hard to make Naruto happy. In her mind, it was all Naruto's fault. He should have escaped with them when Sasuke suggested it. They had an extra scroll, so it wouldn't have been a huge lost. Now, everyone was looking at her with disgusted and disappointment. It wasn't something she enjoyed.

Sasuke was just glaring a hole through Naruto. He didn't like how Naruto just pushed him around like that. He didn't like how he called him out like that. He didn't like this new and improved Naruto. He was much stronger than him. Those Sound genin had made a fool of him and Naruto easily took them out with just a few useless jutsu and a distraction. It infuriated him at how weak he was. He was going to get to the bottom of Naruto's strength.

The two teams arrived at the central tower without incident. They listen to Shikamaru and kept to the ground and near the river. They moved around other teams and stuck to being ghost. When they entered the tower, they read the parchment on the wall.

"If you lack heaven, seek wisdom to be prepared. If you lack earth, run in fields and seek advantages. What does that mean?" Ino asked. Shikamaru looked at the parchment and then at the scrolls. He looked at Naruto.

"I think we can open the scrolls now." Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded and did as Shikamaru said. The scrolls glowed and exploded into a lot of smoke. When the smoke cleared, both teams were face to face with Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane.

"Well, look at what we have here. You guys formed some sort of alliance?" asked Kotetsu.

"Two teams are bettered than one. So does that mean we passed this troublesome test?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, that's right. Congratulations on completing the second part of the exam." Izumo said. Before any other things can be said, Naruto stepped forward and faced the two chūnin.

"Hey guys, is the old man in the tower?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, he's here." Kotetsu said.

"I need to see him. He has to know that something happened in the forest." Naruto said and handed Kotetsu the note he kept. Kotetsu looked at it and went wide eyed.

"Open your jacket Uzumaki." He said with seriousness. Naruto was confused but complied with him. When he did, he showed the bandages that he wore. Kotetsu was worried as was Izumo. He looked toward his partner and nodded. Izumo was gone in a flash while Kotetsu looked at Naruto. "I'm taking you to the infirmary Naruto so hold on." Naruto wasn't given any time to acknowledge him before he was taken away.

Ino and the others were confused and worried about the blond.

"I wonder what that was about." Choji asked. He looked to get an answer from Naruto's team when they were gone as well. "Hey, where did they go?" Team ten looked around and could not find either member of the dysfunctional team seven.

"Those weasels, they're probably going to rat on Naruto. Knowing Sakura, she'll probably lie." Ino said.

"It's troublesome but we better find them and make sure that she tells the truth." Shikamaru said. Knowing that this was as excited as Shikamaru would get, they set out to find team seven.

_**X-X-X**_

Sakura searched franticly for the jōnin lounge. She jumped to the conclusion that Naruto was going to tell the Hokage about what happened in the forest. She figured that she should get her story to Kakashi before Naruto told the Hokage. Sasuke decided to follow her but for a much different reason. After searching, they found the lounge. They entered and searched for Kakashi. They found him, reading his book.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called out. The one-eyed jōnin was surprised to see either one of them, so early in the exam.

"Well, this is a surprise. You guys made it with three days left. I'm very impressed." Kakashi said. That's when he noticed that Naruto wasn't with them. "Where's Naruto?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about. Sensei, Naruto…" Sakura began but was suddenly cut off by Ino's voice.

"Naruto what Sakura? I hope that you're not planning to put the blame on Naruto for what happened in the forest." Ino said.

"This is none of your business pig!" Sakura snarled.

"I'm making it my business forehead. You were about to lie about what you and Sasuke did. I'm not going to allow that to happen." Ino said.

"Since when do you care about Naruto?" Sakura asked demandingly.

"Since I saw your memories while we were traveling." Ino said.

"Y-You… You had no right!" Sakura shouted.

"I had every right! You and Sasuke abandoned him to fight someone who was years stronger than him. What was it you said? Oh yeah, 'let that idiot Naruto cover our escape'." Ino said. Sakura was stuttering and was about to shout at Ino until she was forced to turn around. She was confronted with Kakashi's narrowed eye.

"Is what she said true?" Kakashi demanded. Sakura couldn't speak and looked down at her feet. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her and faced Ino. "Where is my student?"

"H-He was taken to the medical bay. His chest was bandaged. He handed a note to the two chūnin and they immediately took him there." Choji said nervously. Kakashi nodded and made his way to the medical bay when he was stopped by Sasuke. The two glared at each other.

"Why have you been holding back with me?" Sasuke asked with a tone.

"Excuse me _genin_?" Kakashi asked him.

"You've been holding back on me. Where did the dobe learn that shuriken attack? What have you been teaching him and not me?" Sasuke demanded.

"What I teach is none of your concern _genin_. If I teach you something it is for your own good. If you don't like it, too bad." Kakashi said and shoved pass Sasuke. The boy was enraged at the dismissal and attempted to attack Kakashi from behind. It was a stupid move as Sasuke found himself on the ground, Kakashi's foot stomping on his head. The other jōnin couldn't believe the balls on the kid to do such a thing. Sasuke struggled but a small twist of his arm made him groan in pain. He turned slightly to see Kakashi's lone Sharingan glare at him.

"You have disappointed me for the last time. The great last Uchiha, the one to bring justice to his clan, you are a joke. Do you truly believe that strong techniques can defeat your brother, a man who was an ANBU captain at thirteen? You can train as hard as you can but it will never be enough. Do you want to know why? It is because you are weak. You are weak at heart, weak at will and weak at spirit. You are nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. I would rather teach Naruto because he has the right stuff to be great. You and Haruno-san can consider this your termination from my team. I have no need for trash like you." Kakashi said and released Sasuke. He walked out and left him to stew.

Sakura attempted to help Sasuke but he shoved her away and stormed out of the lounge. Sakura could feel the disappointed looks from the Leaf jōnin. She left soon after but not before glaring at Ino. Ino wasn't intimidated by the glare. One person in the room was smiling at what he saw and excused himself. It was about time to mark his prize.

_**X-X-X**_

Hiruzen waited until the medic was done with Naruto's diagnostics. When Izumo arrived and gave him the note, he was incredibly worried. He rushed to the medical bay and demanded that Naruto's bandages be removed. They did as they were told and removed the bindings. Hiruzen was able to relax when he saw that there was no mark on him. He didn't know what Orochimaru's mark would do to Naruto's seal.

He allowed the medics to continue and waited for them to finish. That's when Kakashi appeared.

"Hokage-sama is Naruto," Kakashi began but he is stopped by Hiruzen.

"They are just finishing up and we will have our answer soon." He said. As soon as those words were uttered, the doctor was done. He looked toward the Hokage and Kakashi.

"The kid is fine, like always. All of his injuries are gone and he is able to move around." The doctor said. He left with his team and the ANBU secured the room. Hiruzen looked at Naruto and smiled.

"You shaved a few more years out of my life Naruto." Hiruzen said.

"Sorry about that old man." Naruto said.

"It is okay, my boy. Now, the note you received, I know it is from my wayward student. What can you tell me about your encounter?" Hiruzen asked.

"There's nothing I can really tell you. He had an agenda though. When I arrived on the scene, he was just toying with Sasuke and Sakura. He could have killed them if he wanted to but didn't. When they abandoned me, he toyed with me as well. It was like he didn't want me to die. I don't know what he wanted but it was like he was testing us." Naruto explained. Hiruzen nodded and patted Naruto on the head.

"Thank you for your input Naruto. I'll leave you with Kakashi so that you can talk." Hiruzen said and left the room. Once outside, he signaled his ANBU. "I want Sasuke Uchiha placed under constant guard now."

"Sir!" they said and vanished. Hiruzen kept walking to his office and began to wonder what his student was planning next.

_**X-X-X**_

Sasuke stormed through the halls of the tower. He was irate and enraged at the words Kakashi had just said to him. He was not weak. He was not a child. He needed power to complete his ambition. All these team practices and drills were meaningless. He didn't need anyone's help. Itachi was his and only his to kill. He would make Kakashi pay for his words. The best way was to take out his favorite student, Naruto. He would like to hear what Kakashi would have to say after Naruto couldn't compete anymore.

He suddenly jumped back as a kunai flew at him. A purple wall appeared behind him and he was trapped.

"Alone at last Sasuke." A voice said. He looked forward to see Orochimaru. Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan and glared at him. This just amused him further. "So now you are ready to fight? The last time we faced each other, you could barely keep up. You were shivering in your sandals and your teammate had to come and save you. It seems that your teachers have overestimated your abilities."

"Shut up! I don't need that dobe to deal with you. I am an Uchiha. I am an avenger. You will not mock my abilities!" Sasuke roared.

"Oh, such passion, such hunger. Why don't you show me you true abilities?" Orochimaru asked mockingly. Sasuke quickly did some seal and took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: **Fireball Jutsu!**" Sasuke said and launched the biggest fireball ever. This just made Orochimaru smirk as the attack hit.

_**X-X-X**_

The explosion rocked the tower and alerted everyone. Hiruzen along with his guard rushed to the scene. He arrived to see several jōnin there. They all saw a huge hole in the wall, fire burning around it.

"Report, what is going on here?" Hiruzen demanded.

"We don't know sir. We have just arrived here as well." One chūnin said. Another explosion caught their attention and it was a little ways away from the tower. He turned to Asuma.

"Take a team and investigate. Detain anyone you find." Hiruzen said. Asuma nodded and took a team with him to investigate. Hiruzen couldn't help but be worried about what could have caused this.

_**X-X-X**_

"Is this it Sasuke? Is this all you have?" Orochimaru said with some disappointment. Sasuke was on his hands and knees, sucking in air. He looked at Orochimaru and growled. Not even the Sharingan could read him. He would not go down like this. He would make this man take him seriously. He charged again and threw a punch-kick combination. Orochimaru easily defended against it and slammed Sasuke down to the ground. Orochimaru would hold him there for a while. He sensed some people coming and realized that his window had closed.

"It's such a shame that you could not do much better but that is to be expected. However, I will award your bravery." He said. He did a single seal and his neck stretched. He then bit Sasuke on the side of his neck. Sasuke screamed for a while before feeling weaker. Orochimaru stood and walked away a few feet. He turned back toward Sasuke. "That gift I gave you, use it well Sasuke. If you like it and want more, then come and seek me." With that said Orochimaru vanished and Sasuke was out cold.

Asuma arrived and noticed the burning wood and laying body. He checked to see that it was Sasuke. He also noticed something else and it made him worry. It was Orochimaru's curse mark.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_


	8. Chapter 8

Hiruzen waited in his temporary office and awaited the information about that disturbance. He had a sinking feeling about what it could be and he knew that he would not be happy about it. He did not have to wait long as his ANBU appeared.

"Report." He said seriously.

"Sir, we have found the body of Sasuke Uchiha in what appears to be a battleground. He was unconscious and his breathing was labored. We determined that this was because of the curse mark that has been placed on him." The ANBU reported.

"Why wasn't he guarded like I said?" Hiruzen asked bitterly.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama but we were making shift changes. Also, we could not locate him after he left the jōnin lounge after captain Kakashi spoke to him." The ANBU said.

"Damn it, I was hoping to avoid this." Hiruzen cursed. He thought for a while before facing his ANBU. "Summon Anko as I will need to know how likely Sasuke will survive. Also summon Kakashi to seal the curse mark. I don't care about his issues with the boy. Tell Asuma and Ibiki to investigate what happened." The ANBU nodded and left to do his bidding.

_**X-X-X**_

Kakashi walked with his student. He was glad that he was okay and was a little impressed with his student. Lasting so long, in his case, against one of the Sannin, was a tremendous feat. He still berated him for fighting someone clearly his superior and made a note to teach the boy how to think a little better. Suddenly, an ANBU member appeared in front of the two.

"Captain Kakashi, you are needed quickly." The ANBU said.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked.

"Sasuke Uchiha has been attacked and has been given a particular mark." He said. Kakashi's eye went wide and narrowed. He could guess what had happened to his former student. He turned his attention to Naruto.

"Go get some rest Naruto. We will talk later." Kakashi said. Naruto nodded and left. He turned to the ANBU and nodded. They both vanished.

_**X-X-X**_

Three days passed, signaling the end of the second part of the chūnin exam. Everyone was gathered in a large hall where their sensei were. As a sickly looking jōnin instructed that there was going to be a preliminary round, the Hokage was thinking about the past three days. He was thankful that Sasuke had survived the curse mark. Anko had told him that one out of ten was likely to survive it. However, the mark was active and it had to be sealed. Kakashi was the one to do it and he used the Curse Sealing technique to do it.

After that and a long rest, Sasuke woke up. Hiruzen wasted no time in speaking with the boy. At first, Sasuke was difficult but he changed his tune after the Hokage threaten to remove him for the exams. He told him everything and the Hokage was not pleased. He asked what Sasuke what he was thinking and the boy's answer told him everything. Everything was done because of his foolish pride. Orochimaru played to it and he was able to mark the boy. He left the angry boy alone, shaking his head at his actions.

He just sighed and made a mental note to do something about Sasuke. His attitude would get himself and others killed. He put in the back of his mind for now and concentrated on the prelims.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto watched the matches as they progressed. Some of them were impressive, others were boring as hell. He stood near to Kakashi as they watched. He was currently watching Shikamaru fight the Sound kunoichi Kin. It looked like the sloth would be able to pull out a victory now that he caught her in his shadow. He thought back to the first five matches.

The first match was Sasuke versus Kabuto's teammate, Yoroi Akadō. At the beginning, Sasuke attempted to brutally defeat his opponent. He was sloppy against him and Yoroi capitalize on it. He had an ability to suck the chakra out of his opponents. This left Sasuke severely weakened. However, Sasuke was able to get free and use the Leaf Shadow Dance, a move he stole from Rock Lee. He then used a different move to end the fight, calling it the Lion's Barrage. To Naruto, Sasuke was just a copycat who didn't care where he got his strength.

The second match was Zaku Abumi against Shino. Naruto could feel the hate coming from the Sound genin as he glared at him. He couldn't really talk as his jaw looked wired shut. His attention was turned back to Shino. Zaku believed that he could just blow Shino away with his Sound Slicing Wave attack. Shino proved to be too hard to hit as he used clones and Insect Clone to maneuver around Zaku. He had the boy trapped when Zaku used his Supersonic Slicing Wave on Shino. He believed that he was the victor but he was suddenly encased in a sphere of bugs. The bugs returned to Shino who was standing there, unharmed. Zaku was on the ground, unconscious.

The third match was Misumi Tsurugi against the Sand genin, Kankuro. Misumi attempted to strangle the guy, using a technique that was very similar to Orochimaru. As he looked like he killed the guy, he turned into a wooden puppet. That surprised Misumi who had the tables turned on him. Seeing that he was about to break his neck, Kankuro decided to break all of his bones. He smirked as his opponent lay on the ground unmoving.

The fourth match was Sakura versus Ino. This was a very disappointing match. All they really did was throw insults at each other for most of the match. Ino did have the upper hand on Sakura, having better skills than her. When Ino hit Sakura with her Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu, Naruto thought the match was over. Surprisingly, Sakura was able to break free from the technique. They then proceeded to knock each other out. When Ino came to, she was disappointed in her match. Naruto told her that it was okay and that she would do better next time. Ino thanked him for the words.

The fifth match was Tenten versus the Sand kunoichi, Temari. This was a quick match and very one-sided. Tenten was a long distance fighter who could hit anything. However, she faced another long-range fighter who could use the wind. All of Tenten's weapons were useless against Temari. She then ended the fight with a powerful wind style jutsu. Temari showed her ruthlessness and put her iron fan under Tenten. The way her back bent was not a pretty sight. Lee wasn't happy and attempted to do something about it but was stopped by Gai. They shared some words with the Sand team before the prelims continued.

Naruto watched as Shikamaru had just knocked out the Sound kunoichi, using her position to win. Naruto always thought that Shikamaru was just a sloth but the match showed him that he was very smart. He would need to be careful when he had to face him. The names blurred again on the board. It stopped on two names. One was Kiba's, the other was his.

"Alright Naruto, show them that you aren't the same person from the academy." Kakashi said.

"Right!" Naruto said and jumped over the railing. Naruto took off his coat and threw away. He began to do some stretches as Kiba looked at him with an arrogant smirk.

"What's the deal dead-last? You don't actually think that you can beat me?" Kiba asked.

"We won't know until I try, dog breath." Naruto said. He slipped into his stance and waited. Kiba just smirked and told his dog to stay out of this. Hayate looked at the two and dropped his hand, signaling the beginning of the match. Kiba did some seals and called out his technique.

"Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu." Kiba got on all four and took on a more beastly appearance. He vanished and reappeared in front of Naruto. He threw an elbow at Naruto but he hit nothing but air. He was confused when he barely dodged a powerful blow from Naruto. Kiba took a few steps back before rushing Naruto again. He was using his families' taijutsu but he couldn't touch Naruto. Frustrated, he over-reached and Naruto attacked. He hit him with a body blow to his kidney. Kiba winced and tried to throw an elbow but Naruto ducked under it. As he came up, he threw another cross to Kiba's chest. Winded, Kiba stumbled back and Naruto continued his assault.

He stepped it, landing two jabs and finished with another cross. Kiba growled and tried to swipe at Naruto but Naruto vanished again. Kiba was suddenly bombarded with blows from all directions. Naruto moved like a blur. The assault stopped when Naruto sent Kiba flying from a sidekick. Kiba tumbled on the ground before coming to a stop.

_**X-X-X**_

Kurenai was shocked at what she had just seen. While she would not put down any child, she believed that Kiba was more superior to Naruto when it came to close combat. Naruto had completely dominated that first round. Not only that but she could have sworn that the move he had just used was just like that of Shisui Uchiha. She looked at Kakashi and wondered what had he been teaching him.

Kakashi watched and was pleased to see that Naruto's Illusion Dance was battle ready. He could only wonder if Shisui would be proud there was another one just like him. He turned to Ino, who had her mouth wide open.

"Surprised?" Kakashi asked.

"I thought what he did to the Sound team was impressive but this is insane. He was never able to match Kiba back in the academy. How did he get so strong?" Ino asked.

"He worked his butt off and he had help from various people. Your sensei was one of those people." Kakashi said. Ino looked at Asuma who nodded at her. "Our first mission outside Konoha, Naruto felt useless. He didn't want to feel that way again. He trained hard and worked hard so that he could stand with his teammates. It's too bad that his 'former' teammates couldn't see that. He is a true testament of hard work."

"What a youthful story, my rival. I will work twice as hard to match young Naruto." Gai cheered.

"I will work three times as hard Gai-sensei." Lee countered. This continued for a while but everyone seems to ignore them and focus on the fight.

_**X-X-X**_

Kiba wiped his mouth and faced Naruto who was still in his stance. Akamaru barked at him to calm Kiba down. Kiba couldn't really believe that this was happening. Naruto was the dead-last, the failure. How could he have gotten so strong in such a short time? Was his sensei that good of a teacher? Many questions ran through his head but he banished them in order to show Naruto that he was still the best fighter.

"Fine dobe, you want to play it that way? Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted. The white puppy bark and Kiba tossed him a pill while he ate one himself. Naruto watched as Akamaru's fur got red and he jumped on Kiba's head. Kiba did a hand seal and called out his jutsu.

"Man Beast Clone!" Kiba called out. Akamaru transformed into an exact copy of Kiba. Naruto could see that this might be a problem and shifted to a defensive stance. Kiba and Akamaru moved much faster and attempted to attack Naruto from each side. Naruto teleported across the room as they were about to connect. Kiba and Akamaru followed him by scent and chased after him. It was a game of cat and mouse as Naruto kept teleporting around the room to avoid Kiba and his partner. Having enough of his running away, the two forced Naruto into a position where he couldn't dodge.

"You're mine! Fang over Fang!" Kiba shouted. He and Akamaru began spinning like drill and moved to hit Naruto who was stuck in mid-air. Naruto acted quickly and did a jutsu.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out and created ten clones. While he was aiming for more, this would have to do for now. Kiba just laughed at Naruto's stupidity as a clone was just an illusion. He was very surprised when he made contact with the clones and they were solid. After the attack, Naruto was left with five clones. Naruto knew that he had to separate the two but how? Suddenly an idea came to him. He created three more clones and told them to scatter. Kiba and Akamaru just kept attacking using the Fang over Fang attack. They managed to dispel two clones but because they continued to use the same attack, they were able to avoid them.

Kiba and Akamaru were getting frustrated with Naruto. He kept dodging, not fighting like he usually would. If Naruto would stay still, he would have won this match by now. Kiba and Akamaru were back to back as the clones circled them.

"Damn it Naruto, fight like a man!" Kiba snarled.

"What's wrong mutt-face?" one clone asked.

"Are you a little frustrated that I'm fighting you differently?" the other clone asked.

"Don't worry, this match is about to end." Another clone said.

"Ninja Art: Whirlpool Vortex!" a voice called out and the ground beneath Kiba and Akamaru began to suck them in. They quickly freed themselves, which is what Naruto wanted. Two clones appeared and kicked each Kiba away from each other. They both landed on their feet but one was surrounded by four of Naruto's clones. The real Naruto then popped up from the ground and did a string of hand seals. "Capture and Arrest Jutsu!" Naruto called out. Everyone watched as tags began to glow on the clones backs. This caused both Kiba and Akamaru to pause.

"What did you just do Naruto?" Kiba shouted.

"I've just won. I'm guessing that you're Kiba so who I have trapped is Akamaru. The jutsu I'm using is a pretty nasty one. If Akamaru attempts to leave, the explosive tags go boom. It will happen if he flares his chakra too. You make any attempt to save him, I detonate the tags. It's ruthless but if you don't surrender, I won't have much of a choice. What's it going to be?" Naruto asked. Kiba was at a standstill. He so wanted to knock Naruto in the face. However, Naruto had all the cards. With an angry sigh, Kiba made his choice.

"I surrender." Kiba said.

"Winner of the seventh match, Naruto Uzumaki." Hayate announced. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and deactivated his jutsu. The same was done between Kiba and Akamaru. Akamaru jumped into Kiba's arms and he just petted him. Naruto felt bad about the move he used but a victory was a victory. The jōnin were very impressed with Naruto's performance. He used Kiba's straightforwardness to his advantage and he put him in a situation that he could not free himself from. They could only wonder what he would have in store for the finals.

As Naruto reached the top of the stairs, he was suddenly embraced by Ino. Still the shortest of the graduation class, Naruto was placed face first into Ino's budding chest. Naruto could help but get a red face as he could feel the two fleshy mounds under her blouse.

"Well, this is a surprise. I did not know you were in that kind of relationship with each other." Kakashi said with amusement.

"Have you given up on Sasuke Ino?" asked and equally amused Asuma. Ino was confused when she realized that Naruto's face was in her chest. She did not miss the red face of the blond. Her face flushed red and she proceeded to throw Naruto down the flight of stairs, shouting 'pervert'. Naruto bounced twice before landed on the ground in a twisted heap. He released a groan and could not get up at that time. Kakashi appeared above him and looked at him.

"Shikamaru… is… right. Women… are… troublesome." Naruto groaned.

"Still, you can say that you got some boob right?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile. Naruto only blushed at the question. Watching them, Sasuke could only glare at them. He watched Naruto's fight with interest so he could take something of his. However, the blond was careful not to use any of those moves he saw in the forest. He gripped the railing. He would get those techniques, one way or the other.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Authors' Notes: **_Sorry that this took me so long to finish. I had some issues to take care of and a bad case of writer's block. Anyway, I good now and I've good the new chapter out. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

The preliminaries continued with the last three matches. The eighth match was a battle between the two Hyūga, Neji and Hinata. This match was very one-sided as well as Neji complete dominated Hinata. She did put up a fight but she was still not match against him. Ino did try and cheer her on but it proved useless. At the end, Neji just mocked her and left her defeated. Kiba had to be restrained.

The ninth match was Gaara against Lee. This was the match of the prelims. Gaara's defensive shield could not be penetrated by Lee's taijutsu. That was until he took off ankle weights that hit the ground with a thud. This made the spandex wearing shinobi much faster. Lee would be the first to ever hit Gaara, not once but twice. His cheers were quickly silenced as he saw that Gaara was unhurt. They all saw that Gaara's sand clung to him. It was like armor. Lee quickly countered this by opening one of the Eight Gates. He used the Gate of Opening and was able to lunch Gaara in the air with a combo. He then wrapped Gaara with his bandages and drove him into the ground with the Front Lotus.

Thinking that he won, Lee was surprised that it was not Gaara he drove into the ground but a sand shell of him. Gaara appeared behind him, a wicked grin on his face. He then proceeded to punish Lee, slamming him into the walls. After a while, Lee got his speed back and was able to dodge Gaara's attacks. Lee then proceeded to open three more gates, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life and the Gate of Pain. Lee's skin turned red and looked like his body was about to burst. He took off like a rocket at Gaara who was not able to defend against Lee's supersonic speed.

Everyone watched in awe and fear as Lee battered Gaara in mid-air. The Sand Armor was useless and Gaara felt immense pain for the first time in his life. Lee decided to end this and opened the fifth gate, the Gate of Limit. He vanished and reappeared in front of Gaara. He sent him toward the ground but he was suddenly jerked back to a charging Lee. Lee landed a kick and punch to Gaara's mid-section, calling the move the Reverse Lotus. Gaara hit the ground with a boom while Lee hit the ground with a thud.

Hayate was about to call the match a draw but when the smoke cleared, Gaara was very much still in the fight. Gai and Kakashi saw that he used the gourd on his back to save himself. Gaara struggled to move his sand to crush Lee. Lee was too hurt to escape the sand as it wrapped around his leg and arm. Gaara closed his hand and crushed the two limbs. He sent more sand to kill Lee but Gai stepped in to save him. Gaara was confused as to why he would save him but when Gai called him his precious student, Gaara was confused. He was then shocked when Lee stood. However, he was standing out cold on his feet. The match was won by Gaara.

The final match was Choji against Dosu. Knowing about the gauntlet on Dosu's arm, Choji thought he was safe is he stayed in his Human Boulder technique. This, while a smart move, was useless. When Choji got stuck in the wall, Dosu used his Melody Arm. He used the water within Choji's body to enhance his Vibrating Sound Drill. This stopped Choji cold and Dosu won the match. With the prelims done, the winners were on the stadium floor in front of the Hokage.

"I would like to congratulate you on your victories. You are the genin that will take part in the Third and final stage of the Chūnin Exams, which will be a month from now. It will give the time to learn something new as your opponent has seen what you can do." Hiruzen said. Anko stepped forward.

"Each of you, walk up to me and pick a number out of the box." Anko ordered. Each of them walked up to her and picked a number out of the box. "Okay, from left to right, tell me the number you picked."

"Three." Sasuke said.

"Five." Shino said.

"Six." Kankuro said.

"Eight." Temari said.

"Seven." Shikamaru drawled.

"Two." Naruto said.

"One." Neji said.

"Four." Gaara spoke.

"Nine." Dosu said. While they told her the numbers, she marked down their names on a board. When she finished she looked at the board before facing the genin.

"Alright, this is how the finals will be. The first match will be Neji Hyūga versus Naruto Uzumaki. The second match is Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara of the Sand. Third match is Shino Aburame versus Kankuro of the Sand. Fourth match is Shikamaru Nara versus Temari of the Sand. Dosu get a bye." Everyone looked at their opponents. They faced the Hokage who gained their attention.

"To remind you, even though you beat your opponent does not mean that you will get promoted. Everyone could pass or no one could pass. We are not just looking for strength. Anyway, in one month's time, the finals will be held. I wish all the luck in your training." Hiruzen said.

_**X-X-X**_

"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious?" Kakashi asked. He was currently in his office with other jōnin. Kakashi was displeased because of the order that he was just given by the Hokage.

"I know that you are displeased Kakashi but right now, we cannot let Sasuke out of our sight. He is an unknown risk right now and we can afford to be unaware. With Orochimaru lurking, we cannot be sure that Sasuke will take his offer of power." Hiruzen said.

"What about Naruto? He will need training as well." Kakashi said.

"I understand that but Sasuke is our top priority. Besides, the boy is quite resourceful. I'm quite sure you can help him out in some way." Hiruzen said.

"Very well Hokage-sama, I will look after the Uchiha's training." Kakashi said with a sigh. Hiruzen nodded and they continued on with the meeting.

_**X-X-X**_

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. He was standing outside the Hokage tower waiting for his sensei. Kakashi had just told him about the Hokage's order and the blond was not too pleased about it.

"It's out of my hands Naruto. Right now, Sasuke is an unknown risk that we cannot ignore. I have to watch over him and keep him safe from Orochimaru." Kakashi said.

"Okay I get that but what am I going to do?" Naruto asked.

"You can always talk with Ebisu. Isn't he one of the people that you go to for help? He is a great teacher." Kakashi said.

"That is true. I guess I'm just angry that we aren't doing any one-on-one training." He said. Kakashi gave him an eye smile and rubbed the top of his head.

"Don't worry; we will have that training soon. I'll meet up with Ebisu first and give him two techniques for you to learn. I'll also tell him to teach you a chakra control exercise first. Take the rest of the day off and relax." Kakashi said. Naruto nodded and Kakashi disappeared using the Teleportation technique. Now alone, Naruto wondered what he should do. He wasn't hungry yet so he just decided to walk around for a bit. He did this for about half an hour when he came upon an argument. It was Sakura and Ino. The argument looked really heated as people were quickly moving out of the area.

"What the hell is your problem forehead? I have more important thing to do than to stay here and argue with you!" Ino shouted.

"My problem is you! How could you do that to me and Sasuke? Now every ninja I run into gives me this look of disgust, like I did something wrong!" Sakura spat.

"Well guess what, you did do something wrong! I know that Naruto doesn't have the best of reputations but no ninja would have just abandoned him after he came to save their lives! What happened to you and Sasuke is your own damn fault because of your cowardice!" Ino exclaimed.

"I am not a coward! So what if we left Naruto alone? He deserved it for acting so cool!" Sakura shouted.

"Would you listen to yourself? How far have you lost it Haruno? You know what, I don't care anymore. You want to be a cold-hearted bitch then go ahead. Just stay the hell away from me!" Ino said and turned her back to her. Sakura was enraged and cocked her fist back.

"DON'T YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, INO-PIG!" Sakura roared. She launched her fist at Ino's back. Her fist connected but it wasn't with Ino. It was Naruto. He had caught Sakura's punch but he had to use both hands to do it. Ino was as stunned as were some of the people on the street. Naruto pushed Sakura back, making fall on her butt. He shook his hand as that was one strong punch. Sakura got to her feet and glared at Naruto.

"This isn't any of your business Naruto." Sakura snarled.

"I wasn't about to stand by and allow you to hurt Ino because of a few words. Is this how you are? You don't like what people say to you, you lash out when their backs are turned? If you had connected with that punch, Ino could have been put in the hospital or worse." Naruto stated.

"Is that so?" a voice said. Everyone turned to see Ino's father, Inoichi. He was flanked by his old teammates, Chōza Akimichi and Shikaku Nara. All three were staring a hole into Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi gulped and back away. She only made one step before she was captured in Shikaku's shadow. Chōza grabbed the girl and held her firm. Inoichi glared at her.

"Sakura Haruno, in compliance of section twenty-five of the shinobi code, I am placing you under-arrest." He said. Chōza took her to the prison with Shikaku following. Inoichi turned to check on his daughter only to see her checking Naruto's hand. "Ino, take Naruto inside and tape the hand up. I'll be back shortly." Ino nodded and led Naruto inside the flower shop. He left to catch up with his comrades and their prisoner.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto clench his hand and winced a little. Ino's mother helped a little in wrapping his arm. Lucky for him, it was just a bruise and not broken. Ino finished wrapping the hand and looked at him.

"That should do it. I wouldn't do anything with it for a while." She said.

"I wouldn't worry about it. I heal pretty fast." Naruto told her. They sat there in silence for a while before Ino spoke again.

"Hey Naruto, can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure." He answered.

"Your sensei said that your C-rank mission made you take your training seriously." Ino stated.

"It did. Sasuke got hurt because I rushed into a situation. Sakura put me down as well. I spoke to Kakashi and he pointed out my flaws. After that, he told me that I can become a really strong ninja despite my flaws. I decided to correct my flaws and become better so that I would not be a burden to my 'former' teammates. Now, I guess that I'll get stronger to protect Konoha." Naruto said with a grin.

"Do you think that I could get stronger?" Ino asked meekly.

"Sure, I don't see why not. My advice though is to ask for help first. It might suck, it might make you angry to hear all your flaws but if you can get pass that then you have made the first step in getting better. You saw my awesomeness against Kiba?" Naruto boasted.

"Please, you tricked Kiba and threaten to kill his dog." Ino stated.

"I still won right? And for the most part, I was whipping his butt. No one can say that I'm the dead-last now."

"True but you're still a perverted idiot." Ino said.

"Hey, that was your fault! You shoved my head into your chest!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I-I did no such thing!" Ino shouted. The two blondes argued unaware that Inoichi was listening in. He had a small smile on his face at the advice that Naruto had given his daughter. It was very good advice that he hoped that she took. He then heard the sound of metal hitting flesh. He looked to see Naruto on the ground, a lump growing out of his forehead. Ino was holding a frying pan. He decided to intervene before she took another swing at him.

_**X-X-X**_

Kakashi stood in front of Sasuke. It was night time in an undisclosed area. Kakashi had his book out, ignoring Sasuke. Sasuke didn't like it but he had a smug grin on his face. It was something that Kakashi noticed when he picked him up.

"You seem happy about something. Care to share?" Kakashi asked.

"I just find it amusing that you were ordered to training me. How did the dobe take the news?" Sasuke asked with a grin.

"He took it pretty well. Seeing that you haven't really won a spar against Naruto since he took his training seriously, he doesn't have much to worry about." Kakashi said. Sasuke smile fell and his eyes narrowed.

"Whatever, so what are you going to teach me?" Sasuke demanded.

"Nothing." He said.

"What?" Sasuke shouted.

"Why should I teach you anything? You're only going to use what I taught you against others. Sorry, I will not allow that. Besides, you have enough to work with since you had your Sharingan on the entire time." Kakashi said.

"Those useless techniques will not help me against Gaara. I need something stronger in order to beat him. You were ordered to help me and you will comply with that order!" Sasuke spat. Kakashi closed his book and stood. Sasuke grinned at him but it soon disappeared as he felt an untold amount of pain. He struggled to look up at Kakashi. The man looked down at him with his Sharingan exposed.

"Very well, your first thing we need to do is increase your speed. Let's just hope you're fast enough to avoid my fists." Kakashi said. Sasuke trembled a little at the feeling he was getting off Kakashi. He knew that he would be in for a long month.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_


	10. Chapter 10

Naruto grumbled as he quickly got out of the hot water. He turned to Ebisu who had a grin on his face. Naruto so wanted to knock that smug grin off his face but he wanted to really get this technique down. His training started when Ebisu came for him in the morning. As they walked he explained the chakra exercise that they would be doing. It was called 'water walking' and it was much harder than 'tree climbing'. Ebisu explained that because of that the water is in constant motion, the chakra used needed to change constantly. They trained near the hot springs as Ebisu taught it would encourage Naruto to learn faster.

After a few more tries, Naruto was starting to get it. Ebisu was impressed as well. Suddenly, Naruto's concentration was broken when he noticed an old, white haired man peeking into the woman's section of the baths. Ebisu saw this and decided to take action. As he charged at him, the man summoned a large toad. Naruto watched as the confrontation ended within a matter of seconds. Naruto checked on Ebisu and saw that he was okay. He stood and faced his attacker.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Naruto spat.

"Keep quiet brat, I'm conducting my research." Jiraiya said and went back to his peeking. Naruto was about to shout but he decided to do something more. The man felt a pulse of chakra and investigated it. He was wide eyed when he was in the presence of a beautiful young blond girl. She was holding a small towel to her person but it gave the pervert a lot to think about.

"Well now, who might you be my dear?" he asked with a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. The girl threw a towel at him and took a deep breath.

"Rapist! Rapist! This pervert is trying to rape me! Help! Help!" the girl screamed. He was shocked by what was going on and in an instant surrounded by the women of the hot springs. They all saw the girl and some knew that it was Naruto using his silly jutsu. Still, whatever this man was going to do to Naruto in this form was sick and twisted. Jiraiya saw no avenue of escape as the women closed in on him.

"You vile, sick man! What were you about to do to Naruto!" one woman shouted.

"Are you okay Naruto?" asked another woman.

"H-He forced me to use my technique for some type of research. H-He said that he was going further." Naruto cried. The woman glared murder at him and wielded some weapons.

"Naruto, it is time for you to leave. You do not what to see this." One of them said. Naruto nodded and walked away. The man watched as the girl gave him a wicked grin before using the Teleportation technique. He realized that he had been tricked.

"Ladies, please. This is all a misunderstanding." He said. It didn't help him as he was attacked by the enraged women.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was throwing elbows and knees at a wooden post. After leaving the pervert to his fate, he decided to continue his training until Ebisu was healed. He decided to work on his taijutsu some. While he was not there for the match against Hinata and her cousin, he did hear about it. He had always heard that the Hyūga were masters of taijutsu and to fight them close up was suicide. That didn't mean that he should ignore his taijutsu just because. He had something for last year's 'Rookie of the Year'.

He was suddenly hoisted into the air and thrown toward the river. He flipped in mid-air and attempted to stand on the water. He was still trying but was able to stand on its surface. He looked up to see the old pervert from the springs. He was beaten up and angry. He glared at Naruto.

"You little brat, I barely escaped with my life after that stunt!" he shouted.

"Maybe that will teach," he was cut off when he fell into the water. This amused the man as Naruto shot up out of the water. "Argh! What the hell is wrong with me? My chakra has been all crazy since that run-in with Orochimaru!" Naruto exclaimed. That name caught the attention of the man.

"What did you just say?" he asked. He saw that Naruto looked at him with mistrust. "Don't worry kid; I'm a very high ranking shinobi. Now, what did you mean you ran into Orochimaru?"

"I got my ass handed to me by the guy during the Chūnin Exams. When he defeated me, he thrust his fingers into my gut. Since then, my chakra has been off." Naruto said.

"Let me see your stomach." He ordered. Naruto recoiled into fright, making the man roll his eyes. He held the boy and raised his shirt. He saw the seal of the Yondaime and he saw the seal that was over it. He recognized it as Orochimaru's work because it was crude and unrefined. He decided to do something about it. He focused his chakra into his hands and five symbols appeared on each of his fingertips.

"Five Pronged Seal Release!" he called out and slammed his fingertips into his gut. Naruto felt the air leave him and dropped to his knees. He took a few deep breaths before facing and glaring at the man. He ignored the glare and made a motion to the river. "Try that exercise again." Naruto grumbled but complied with him, not wanting to upset the guy. He did the exercise and he was not sinking. He was completely on top of the water. Naruto cheered as he completed the exercise. The man smiled and vanished, leaving Naruto to his celebration.

_**XXX**_

Sasuke hit the ground again. He struggled to his get to his feet. He was beaten up, bleeding from the lip and bruised all over. He glared at Kakashi and his clone that looked at him with a bored expression. The original Kakashi raised his head for his book to look at Sasuke.

"Well, you were able to last longer this time. You still too slow Sasuke. The Suna genin will kill you if you don't speed up." Kakashi said.

"My, my Kakashi, I did not know that you were so vicious." A voice said. Three heads turned to see a white haired man.

"Lord Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked in shock. Sasuke was shocked as well. He had heard of Jiraiya and knew that the man was strong. What was he doing here?

"I heard from Ebisu that you were training the Uchiha on orders. Looks to me like you're trying to break the poor fool." Jiraiya said with amusement. Sasuke was not amused and frowned at his words.

"What can I do for you Lord Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked.

"This is a private matter." Jiraiya said. Kakashi nodded and made a motion to his clone. The clone nodded and dragged Sasuke away. The boy struggled a bit but the clone was not to be messed with. Once away, the two faced each other. "I ran into your other student earlier. He's different from what I remembered."

"He's been attempting to become a better shinobi and is succeeding in it. He's much stronger than he was in the academy. How did you two meet?" Kakashi said.

"That isn't important right now. However, I would like to know if he's in the finals coming up?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes. He's fighting Neji Hyūga in the first round." Kakashi said.

"A Hyūga huh? Okay then, don't worry about him. I'll take care of it." Jiraiya said. He used the Teleportation technique before Kakashi could say something. After a while he smiled as he knew that Naruto would be in good hands.

_**XXX**_

Naruto walked toward the training grounds in a hurry. He had come up with this great idea for an attack and wanted to test it out. If he could actually do it, it would really help him in his match against Neji. He was suddenly stopped when the toad from yesterday landed in front of him. On its back was the guy from yesterday.

"Hey kid, fancy meeting you here." Jiraiya greeted.

"What do you want now, you pervert?" Naruto said.

"First off kid, the name is Jiraiya, also known as the handsome and dashing Toad Sage. Second, I'm here so that we can continue from yesterday." Jiraiya said.

"Yesterday, you punched me in the gut." Naruto stated.

"Yet, you were able to master the water walking exercise right?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto couldn't deny that it did. "So, until the finals, I will be the one who trains you."

"Why should I trust you? With Ebisu-sensei, he can control his perverted urges. I wouldn't get anything done with you and any girls around." Naruto said.

"Come on kid, I'm a really powerful ninja and I can teach you some very powerful jutsu." He said.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Naruto asked.

"How about I teach you how to summon my friend here? I heard that you have a lot of chakra to burn." Jiraiya said with a smirk. He could see the boy's interest and knew that he had won.

_**XXX**_

Ino found her sensei with Choji and Shikamaru. Choji was currently trying to roll over Shikamaru. She figured that Asuma must have promised Choji a free lunch to help train the lazy sloth. She forgot about them and focused on Asuma. It took a lot of thinking but she decided to go with Naruto's advice. She saw how much stronger he got. Maybe it would work for her as well.

"Asuma-sensei!" Ino called out. The smoking jōnin turned his attention to his third student.

"Hello Ino. Have you come to help out with Shikamaru's training?" Asuma asked.

"As fun as that might be, I came for a different reason." Ino took a deep breath and looked at him seriously. "I would like for you to help me become a better kunoichi." She said. Asuma looked at her for a second before sitting down. He had Ino sit as well.

"That is something that I can do Ino but are you ready to become a better kunoichi? I know that you saw how Naruto is and the results but I'll tell you now that it will be hard work. I will be hard on you and I will be strict. If you are not willing to do the work then you are wasting my time and yours. So I will ask you again, are you ready to become a better kunoichi?" Asuma asked seriously.

"Yes, I am ready to be a better kunoichi." Ino said. Asuma looked at her for a long time before he smiled at her.

"Well then, let's get started on that." Asuma said. Ino could do nothing but smile.

_**XXX**_

Sasuke lay in his bed roll, healing from his injuries. Kakashi was not holding back against him. It didn't feel like training to him. It was as if Kakashi was punishing him for his actions, attempting to humble him. That was not going to happen as long as he breathes. He did not feel sorry for what he did at all. Kakashi was giving the dobe strong techniques and leaving him with nothing. In his mind, it wasn't fair at all. Techniques like that multiple shuriken attack should have been his.

Suddenly he heard the sound of chirping birds. It was soon followed by a huge boom. He forced himself to his feet and made his way out toward the sound. He walked a distance before he found Kakashi. He watched as the man did a few hand seals and cupped his hand. Lightning appeared and was blaring. The screech of birds rang through the area. Kakashi then charged at a boulder that had a few holes in it. He thrust his arm forward and into the boulder, creating an explosion of dust. When it cleared, Sasuke could see that Kakashi's arm deep into the boulder. Sasuke couldn't believe how strong that technique was. A wicked grin appeared on his face and he activated his Sharingan. He stayed hidden and waited.

_**XXX**_

Jiraiya watched as Naruto did the Summoning Jutsu again. When the some cleared, he had summoned Gama. Jiraiya was very impressed with Naruto's progress. In only a week and a half, Naruto had gotten the Summoning Jutsu down. His first attempt at the technique was a surprise to him when he summoned a toad. The toad turned out to be Gamakichi. It was an impressive feat that even Jiraiya couldn't accomplish. During the week he was about to summon two more small toads and two man-size toads. It was just so impressive.

However, Jiraiya wanted to see something else. That something else was the chakra of the nine-tailed fox. His reason for this was so that Naruto could get use to using it chakra. Some dangerous men were coming for him and his student would not have sealed the fox within him without a reason. If he was able to tap into that power, he could summon one of the great three toads. The question was how was he going to it? Oh, he had a way but it would put his life in danger.

With a sigh, Jiraiya stood up and caught Naruto's attention.

"Well I have to admit, you truly surprised me Naruto." Jiraiya said.

"I told you so." Naruto boasted.

"Still, I have something serious to talk to you about Naruto." The blond gave him his full attention. "I was wondering have you ever met with your tenant?" he asked.

"You mean the fox? No, I never met with him and why would I want to?" Naruto said.

"That's a shame and a problem. I was hoping that you did. I guess that we're going to have to do this the hard way. For what it's worth, I'm really sorry that I have to do this." Jiraiya said.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya just poked Naruto in the forehead. It didn't feeling like a poke to Naruto who was suddenly sent flying through the bush. When he came to a stop he was hovering over a very deep ravine with sharp stone sides. He began to descend down the ravine at a fast pace. He tried to grab the sides but it was too slippery and he was going too fast. When he ran out of options, Naruto could see his life flash before his eyes. Everything went white for him.

When he opened his eyes, he was suddenly in a puddle of water. He looked forward and saw a large golden cage. He also saw a piece of paper on the gates that had the symbol for seal. As he stood, he began to feel an oppressive force around him. He looked toward the cage and saw two large red eyes and a huge row of teeth. Whatever it was, chuckled at him.

"**Hello warden, I've attempted to get in contact with you for a while. We have much to discuss.**"

_**XXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_: Here the new chapter. Sorry that these updates are coming out so slow. I will try to speed then up. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.

_**P. S.**_ I got word from a reviewer that a group who calls themselves 'Critics United' is the reason behind this little thing with the site. Now, I don't mind critics. If you can criticize me in a positive way then I listen and I attempt to better my skills. However, most of the critics on this site are nothing but haters. I, myself, do not use a lot of lemons. Most of my stuff is pretty tamed, at best, but those that do lemons do put out some really great stories. Now because this group has an issue with it, everyone else has to suffer. I really don't know what your issue is 'Critics United' but maybe you can explain it to everyone so that they don't bash you. You've got to have a reason for what you're attempting to do and we all would like to hear it.


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto couldn't believe who he was facing right now. Behind the golden cage with the piece of paper closing it, was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Naruto gulped a little but stood before the great beast. The red furred, red eyed demon smirked at Naruto.

"**I commend you on your bravery boy. Not many would have stood before me without crippling fear.**" The fox said. Naruto said nothing but he stood his ground. He then remembered the fox's first words.

"What were you talking about? Why were you attempting to contact me?" Naruto demanded.

"**We have much to discuss, you and I. However, our time is limited and you need to survive.**" Naruto was suddenly wrapped up in the demon fox's chakra. Naruto struggled to free him, thinking that the fox was about to kill him. "**Relax boy, I am giving you a small bit of my chakra so that you may summon that disgusted chief toad. Once you are done with this, we will continue our discussion.**" Naruto's eyes snapped open and he could feel the chakra of his tenant's. He quickly drew some blood and did the seals for the summoning technique. A large plume of smoke appeared and Naruto hit something soft.

He looked down after getting his bearings and saw rusty red. The ground was squishy so he knew that he did not hit the ground. He stood and saw a blue happi vest with the symbol for 'toad'.

"**What the hell is this? Where am I?**" a booming voice said. Naruto made his way over to where the voice is and was face to face with the eyes of a huge toad. The toad saw Naruto and narrowed his eyes at him. "**Who the hell are you?**"

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki. You wouldn't be the chief toad, would you?" Naruto asked.

"**I am. Where the hell is that pervert Jiraiya? Why did he summon me into this?**" the chief toad asked.

"Well, I don't know where that bastard is but I'm going to kick him once I get out of here. Secondly, I'm the guy who summoned you." He said. The toad looked at him and began to laugh. The laughter pissed Naruto off and he glared at the toad. "What the hell is so funny!"

"**Listen boy, you don't have the chakra to summon me. Now stop lying and get that moron Jiraiya.**" The toad said.

"Hey, screw you! I'm not lying and I did summon you. Since I did, then that makes me your master!" Naruto said.

"**Is that right?**" the toad said with a hard tone. "**You have some nerve to say such a thing. I should just drop you and let you fall. I am Gamabunta, chief toad, and I have no master.**"

"There's a first time for anything. By the end of the day, I'll have you call me that." Naruto challenged.

"**Cheeky little brat, I'll take that challenge!**" Gamabunta roared. Naruto readied himself to take on the toad.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto walked through the sewer that was his mind. He didn't know how he got here but he could feel the familiar bad feeling he got when he met the demon fox. He made his way to that feeling and was once again in front of the cage. The nine-tails appeared again and faced Naruto.

"**Welcome back boy. Are you ready to talk?**" the fox asked.

"We've got nothing to talk about. Why would I talk to the guy who is the cause of all that has happened to me? I figured that this is about your chakra but I want nothing to do with it and you." Naruto said. The fox looked at him and scoffed.

"**I guess I was wrong. You are still an impudent little child, hiding behind your bravado. Perhaps when you mature some more, we can talk then.**" The fox said.

"Hey, don't talk down to me! What the hell do you know about me anyway!" Naruto shouted.

"**Do not insult my intelligence boy! I have seen what has been done to you! I have felt your anger when you were younger! You come to me as a child, blaming your problems on something I have not done. I did not ask to be sealed within you!**" the fox shouted. Naruto wanted to say something but he couldn't fault the logic of demon. He took a couple of deep breaths before facing the fox again.

"You said that we have to talk, so talk." Naruto said. The fox scoffed again but he decided to comply with the order.

"**I wanted to commend you for dropping that idiot mask. You are improving and your improvement secures my survival.**"

"I didn't do it for you. I did it to be stronger for my village."

"**Whatever your reason was, it is a good thing. I would like to offer my assistance in helping you.**" The fox said. This surprised Naruto who was now on edge.

"Why would you what to help me? You're a being of destruction and chaos, something that want nothing to do with." Naruto said.

"**Disappointing but I knew that already. I'm only offering my services so that you may get back that scroll. With it, you can become much stronger, further insuring my survival.**"

"Scroll, you don't mean that scroll I got back during the mission?"

"**Yes, that scroll. You are rather lucky that you got that scroll. The Sage of the Six Paths was strong in his time. Learning from such a strong human is quite remarkable, don't you agree?**" Naruto wanted to ask more about the Sage but he felt that the fox would not tell him anything.

"What's in it for you?"

"**Like I said, your improvement insures my survival. While I wish for freedom, this damn seal prevents it. Instead of working against you, I would work with you until I find a way to escape my prison. So, what do you say boy?**" the fox asked. Naruto just looked at the fox who just grinned at him.

"Fine but we're going to have some rules. I don't want your chakra unless it is really necessary." Naruto said.

"**I reserve the right to ignore that rule if you are going to get us killed.**" The fox countered.

"Agreed. Another rule is that you don't influence me when I get angry and use your chakra." Naruto said that with a tone. It made the fox chuckle.

"**Figured that out, did you? Very well, I will not influence you but that might not be easy. As you have said, I am a being of destruction and chaos. It depends on you to rein in your anger.**" The fox said. Naruto just gave him a dirty look before nodding.

"I can't think of anything else yet but I will." Naruto said.

"**Understood. As a show of good faith, let me help you with your chakra control.**" Two beams of red light shot out and wrapped around Naruto's ankles and wrist. They came together, causing Naruto to lose his footing and fall onto his back. Naruto saw that he was restrained and attempted to break free.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Naruto shouted.

"**It is a special type of chakra exercise. You must continuously use your chakra to keep the chains apart. The pros of this exercise are that your chakra pool will increase and your control will improve. Who knows, you might be able to do a normal clone jutsu. Now that our business is done, you can leave.**" The fox said and ejected Naruto out of his mind. The blonde's eyes shot open and Naruto was fully awake. He sat up and looked around to get his bearings.

"Yo." A voice said. Naruto turned to see Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I got word that my student was in the hospital for chakra exhaustion. Seeing that you're up, I don't have to worry. However, I'm curious as to how YOU of all people got chakra exhaustion. Care to explain it to me?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded and began his tale. Kakashi was not too surprised that Jiraiya was training him but he was proud that Naruto knew the Summoning technique. He chuckled a little when he talked about his meeting with Gamabunta. That's when Naruto told him about the Nine-Tails. He was concerned about what Naruto told him. At the end, Kakashi was looking at Naruto seriously.

"Can you trust him Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't really know. It seems like he doesn't have any hidden agenda but I know that he wants out of the seal. I'm going with the wait and see approach for now." Naruto said.

"Alright but be careful Naruto. We don't know what the fox wants. I'll have to let the Hokage know about this." Kakashi said.

"I understand but can you help me first?" Naruto said. Kakashi saw that he could not move his wrists or ankles. He nodded and helped Naruto with the fox's chakra exercise.

_**X-X-X**_

Sasuke cupped his hand and watched as lightning surrounded it. He had a dark smile on his face. He could feel the power of the technique. He deactivated the technique and feel to his knees. It was the only drawback to this technique as it took a lot of chakra to do. He didn't know how many he could do before he was out of chakra. After he got his breath back, Sasuke bandaged his hand. If Kakashi saw the burn marks, he would get suspicious and get the reason out of him. He raised his bandaged hand and smirked. With this jutsu, he would show everyone just how strong he was.

_**X-X-X**_

Ino was breathing heavily as she struggled to get to her feet. Across from her, Asuma stood and waited. He was actually pleased with Ino's progress. He still could feel the sting of her shots across his arm. He smirked at the tired blond.

"Imitating the Hyūga, are we?" Asuma asked with amusement.

"Not really, my aunt showed me a bit of the Yamanaka fighting style. Apparently, we work on disabling our opponents so that they couldn't move when we read their minds. She said that very few use it anymore." Ino explained.

"That's true. Your clan isn't known for its close combat skills. Still, it is a good style for you. So, are you ready for another go?" Asuma asked. Ino nodded and charged at Asuma. She would get stronger, no matter what.

_**X-X-X**_

Naruto was sleeping peacefully. After a whole day with Kakashi, he had finally gotten the hang of the fox's exercise. Kakashi explained that this would be a very good exercise for him. Naruto just wanted to get some needed sleep. He had another week before the finals started and he was going to train hard for four days. He still had that idea and jutsu to learn.

As he slept, he was suddenly, once again, brought before the fox. Naruto groaned as stared at the Nine-Tails.

"What do you want now? I was sleeping you know."

"**Sorry to spoil your beauty rest but you have a problem.**"

"What are you talking about?"

"**The boy with the sand, he is similar to you.**"

"What?"

"**He is a container just like you. He carries that crazy Shukaku.**"

"Wait a minute, that red-haired guy from the Sand is just like me? What's he doing in the hospital?"

"**First, he is similar to you in that he contains one of us but you are very far apart. The Shukaku is an insane being that wants nothing more than blood. Anyone who is his container is very unstable. As to why he is here, I would guess that it is because of that weird boy in the green spandex. Shukaku has an impressive defense and that boy broke it. He will kill the boy.**" The fox said.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place, you stupid fox?" Naruto shouted. Naruto instantly woke up and shot out of bed. He made his way to Lee's room. He saw Gaara stand over him, his sand making a move to the sleeping Lee. Naruto acted quickly and used the Teleportation jutsu to grab Lee. Naruto placed Lee behind him and faced Gaara. Gaara did not look happy that he was stopped.

"Why did you stop me?" Gaara demanded.

"A better question is what do you think that you're doing? He can't defend himself." Naruto said.

"He questioned my existence. He must pay for that. I will kill you as well if you get in my way." Gaara said.

"Don't think just because you have the Shukaku in you that I'm going to back down." Naruto said and got into a stance. His words surprised Gaara.

"How do you know about Shukaku the Wind Spirit?" Gaara asked. Naruto used a bit of the Nine-Tails chakra and his eyes changed to show Gaara.

"You aren't the only one with a spirit stuck in his gut." Naruto said. This surprised Gaara as there was another person just like him. He looked closer at Naruto and rethought his earlier mental assumption.

"No, you are not like me. You do not have the same eyes as me. You don't have the same hate as I do. Why is that?" Gaara asked.

"I know what you mean. Having people hate you for something that you had no choice in. I hated them, I wanted bad things to happen to them but that doesn't solve anything. That's why I took a different path and I found people who acknowledge me." Naruto said.

"You are naïve and idiotic. They will turn on you the second you let your guard down. My mother is the only one who has not betrayed me and it is because of her I have an existence." Gaara said.

"No, you allowed your grief to take over and you threw anyway your humanity. You're just proving them right by becoming what they fear." Naruto said. Gaara glared at Naruto and his sand began to react. Naruto readied himself to fight when they both heard footsteps. Gaara called back his sand and turned around. He stopped in the door way and faced Naruto.

"I will kill you and I will show you how foolish you are." Gaara said and left the room using the Teleportation. Naruto calmed down and turned his attention to Lee. The bowl cut teen was still sleeping. Naruto turned back to the doorway and had a serious expression on his face. He would need to be ready if he wanted to be a match against Gaara.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes:**_I don't really have anything to say. I changed the chapter a little but i kept it close to the original chapter. Like I said, I will attempt to get these chapters out sooner but know that this and '_A Family of Foxes & Snakes_' will always be updated. Anyway enjoy the new chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

The day of the finals had arrived and everyone in Konoha was excited to see the competition. Daimyos from other countries was arriving to see how strong each genin was. This would help them as they choose what village to ask for help. From what they could see it was going to be between the Leaf and the Sand. They waited eagerly for the finals to start.

Ino was looking for a place to sit. She was wearing causal clothes, consisting of an orange t-shirt that had the stylized kanji for the word "boar" inside a light green circle on the upper-left side of the chest, brown shorts, and cream-colored elbow guards. She was also sporting some bandages from her training. She finally found a seat but it was near the brown haired teammate of Neji Hyūga.

"Um, is anyone sitting here?" Ino asked her.

"No, you can sit here." Tenten said.

"Thanks." Ino said and took a seat. She got situated and looked toward the field. She saw those who made it to the finals but no Naruto. She was wondering where the blond was when she caught sight of the spiky haired genin. She couldn't really tell if that was him because he was wearing something other than that orange eye sore.

"You're looking at that guy pretty hard there. I thought that you were interested in that Uchiha guy?" Tenten asked.

"I was but I saw who he truly is and that just killed any interest. Besides, I thought that was Naruto but I couldn't be sure since I don't see that much orange on him." Ino said.

"Hey, you're right. But it has to be him because of the hair." Tenten said. Ino had to agree with her and had to admit that he did look good in those clothes. That's when she heard Tenten speak. "I feel sorry for him though. He's going up against last year's rookie. Neji isn't the type to play around."

"I would have agreed with you but this isn't the same guy from our graduating class. He's much stronger than before. I've upped my training just so that I don't fall behind." Ino explained.

"Is that so? That's pretty good for you. The way you and the pink-haired girl fought was a bit embarrassing. If you want, I can spar with you; maybe show you a few things." Tenten offered.

"I might take you up on that." Ino said with a smile. She turned to the crowd and noticed Sakura. She was sitting next to her mother and father. She couldn't really see her face but by the way she sat, it looked like she was under house arrest by her parents. She just shrugged and focused her attention to the field where the first match was about to begin.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was stretching out his muscles as he got ready to fight Neji. Neji watched him and noticed his change of attire, a pair of baggy blue pants tied at the ankles, a black and orange jersey over a mesh shirt with short sleeves and a grey jacket with black strips on the sleeves. He saw that his fists were taped as was his ankles. Neji just smirked at him because of how relaxed he was acting. Naruto saw the smirk and was curious about it.

"Is there something funny?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I find it amusing that you are so confident in your abilities. You are slightly better than your peers give you credit for but it with not be enough. You are a loser, it is your destiny. You can either accept it or be embarrassed." Neji said with a grin. Naruto just looked at him before chuckling.

"Wow, is that your strategy? Is this how you beat Hinata? Sorry pal but I'm not going to break down like that just because you say a few words." Naruto said.

"Very well, don't say that I didn't try to help you." Neji said and slipped into his stance. Naruto got on the balls of his feet and readied himself. Genma looked at the two and saw that they were ready. He signaled the match to begin. Naruto threw a quick roundhouse kick, which was way out of range. Surprisingly, Neji was thrown back a few feet. Confused at what just happened, he barely got his arm up to block Naruto's roundhouse kick. The power behind the blow surprised Neji some more. Naruto followed up with a few punches but Neji dodged them.

Neji lashed out with a palm strike but Naruto ducked it and threw an uppercut. Naruto missed but was able to get Neji in a clench. He drove his knee right into Neji's chest, making him gasp. He threw another knee but Neji blocked it. He them hit Naruto several times, forcing him to release the clench. As he backed away, Naruto threw a front kick that caught Neji flush on his face. The two got some distance before Naruto rushed back in. Neji was waiting and the two proceeded to throw punches, kicks, knees, palms and elbows at each other. They both jumped away and landed across from each other

_**XXX**_

Everyone was in awe at what just happened. In the span of a few minutes, everyone's perception of the match had changed. How was the village pariah matching blows with a Hyūga? And it wasn't just any Hyūga but the Hyūga prodigy. Everyone could see that Naruto had done some damage to Neji. What was most surprising was that Naruto seem to be shrugging off the Gentle Fist. He wasn't showing any of the affects that one who show if they were getting hit by it.

Among the crowd, none were more surprised than Tenten and Ino.

"Did I just witness that?" Tenten asked in shock.

"I knew that he had improved but to fight a Hyūga in close is suicide. Yet, he isn't showing that the Gentle Fist is affecting him." Ino said with equal shock.

"What type of training has he done in order to prepare for that?" Tenten asked.

"I don't know." Ino answered.

_**XXX**_

Naruto stared at his opponent and let out a huff. He was thinking about how the fight had been going.

'_Okay, that Gentle Fist of his packs a punch. Even the little metal plates I have on aren't stopping it. My threshold for pain is good but if I take any more strike like that, I'll be in trouble. He's still holding back but he's starting to take me seriously if his activating his Byakugan is any indicator. Alright then, it's time to fight my type of fight.'_ Naruto thought and did a familiar seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." He called out and summoned four clones. Neji saw this but his Byakugan could not tell them apart. He then saw the middle one attack. He saw a shimmer and moved out of the way and right into Naruto's fist.

Neji staggered but he was quick to block another roundhouse. He was then forced to a knee by a low kick from another Naruto. He rolled away, dodging a flying knee. He got to his feet and attacked the two clones that came at him. The third clone engaged him in another close combat situation as two more Naruto's flanked him. He saw that one reared his foot back while the other was doing hand seals. He grabbed the clone attacking him and used it as a shield to block Naruto's mysterious attack. He then began to expel chakra throughout his body just as Naruto finished his hand seals.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto called out and spat a fireball at him.

"Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!" Neji called out and began to spin. A dome of chakra appeared and stopped the fire technique. Neji came to a stop and faced the jutsu wielding Naruto. Naruto just looked at him with determination and readied himself.

_**XXX**_

"My, my, what talented genin you have. You have a branch member using a main house technique and the dead-last using a powerful fire technique. You must be proud." The Kazekage said.

"Yes, it warms my heart to see that the next generation is so strong." Hiruzen said to him.

"I am confused by that technique that the blond used. Is that a wind technique?" the Kazekage asked.

"I truly don't know. However, it is impressive that it does not require hand seals to use. From what I've seen, it is not mastered. If it was mastered, that last attack would have cut through the clone and Neji." Hiruzen explained.

"What a dangerous genin you have Hokage-sama. I will have to keep my eye on him in the future." The Kazekage said. Hiruzen said nothing but he did not like the words that came out of the Kazekage's mouth. It sounded more like a threat than a statement. He would have to keep an eye on his fellow Kage.

_**XXX**_

Neji was breathing very hard. He had bruises on his forearms and calves. He looked at the dozen clones that was surrounding him with a harsh glare. He couldn't believe how this match had gone. He did not expect this for the dead-last. It angered him greatly that he was being pushed so far by this failure. He needed to finish this off and he had just the way to do it. He had already figured out which one was the original and made his way toward him. He dodged the attacks and jutsu to appear next to the original.

Naruto saw his stance and knew that he was in trouble. He decided to use his other original technique. He quickly did the hand seals and finished just as Neji launched his attack.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji shouted.

"Two Palms!" Neji shouted and struck to hit nothing but air. This surprised him as Naruto appeared to his left. Neji growled but he would not give up.

"Four Palms!" Again he hit nothing.

"Eight Palms!" His strikes hit nothing but air.

"Sixteen Palms!" Naruto's images danced around him as his palm went right through them.

"Thirty-two Palms!" Neji threw his strikes faster and faster but he was still unable to touch Naruto.

"_**Sixty-four Palms!**_" Neji roared. Naruto's images just kept dancing around Neji's strikes. When it was over, Naruto's images disappeared and Naruto was nowhere to be seen. That's when Neji was suddenly dragged into the ground up to his head. Neji growled and was about to blast his way out of the ground when he felt and incredible amount of chakra. He looked up to see Naruto in the air. He also noticed that some of his features looked darker than before.

"**Ninja Art: Lion's Roar!**" Naruto bellowed and unleashed a huge wave of sound toward Neji didn't have time to dodge as he was hit with the wave of sound. The blast created a crater than sank Neji further into the ground. When Naruto landed on the ground, he cautiously moved toward the crater. He looked into the crater and saw that Neji was sprawled out, not moving. Genma checked Neji over. He was going to be really sore but he was alive. He then turned to Naruto and pointed at him.

"Winner of the first match, Naruto Uzumaki." Genma said. At first, Naruto heard nothing for the crowd which did not really faze him. That's when he heard clapping. The clapping got louder and there was more of it. Then there was cheering. Naruto couldn't really believe what he was hearing. People were cheering his name. They were giving him praise and telling him that he did a good job. He was so shocked by it.

He quickly got out of his shock and gave the crowd a big grin. He raised his arms in victory and egged the crowd on.

_**XXX**_

"I can't believe what just happened. Naruto just beat Neji." Izumo stated with shock.

"Yeah and what is more shocking is that he did it without so much trouble. Throughout the match, he had the edge over Neji." Kotetsu said.

"I agree. He didn't rush in too much. He kept him on edge with jutsu and strange attacks. Those last two moves were impressive. Not to mention that he kept his cool. Do you think that he deserves a promotion?" Izumo asked.

"No doubt about it. He deserves chūnin rank." Kotetsu said.

_**XXX**_

"I don't believe it. How could Neji have lost?" Tenten asked in shock.

"Yeah! That's the way! Way to go Naruto!" Ino shouted. She was very happy for the blond who gave her some direction in her ninja career. Her cheering got the attention of Sakura. The two rivals looked at each other before Ino grinned at her. Sakura growled but ignored her. She wasn't going to argue with Ino with both her parents' right here. Ino looked at Tenten who was still shocked.

"Hey Tenten, watch my seat for me okay?" Ino asked. Tenten nodded as Ino left to congratulate the blond shinobi.

_**XXX**_

"Three unseen techniques, that is quite a genin. That last attack was something else." The Kazekage said.

"Yes it was. It is easily mid C-rank technique. I am excited to see what he shows us next." Hiruzen said.

'_You won't be alive long enough to see that, sensei.'_ Was the 'Kazekage's' dark thought.

_**XXXXX**_


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto made his way up the stairs to the competitor's box. When he entered, he was met by Shino and Shikamaru.

"Well, if it isn't mister cool." Shikamaru said with a bored tone.

"Say what now?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"Shikamaru believes that you have become one of the cool people like Sasuke or Neji." Shino answered.

"Not a chance in hell would I end up like those two. They're more snobbish than cool." Naruto said.

"You got a point there. Anyway, that was an impressive win Naruto. I'm surprised that you went into that fight with a plan." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, it's still a new thing for me." Naruto said with embarrassment. They then turned their attention back to the referee who was speaking.

"Kankuro of the Sand and Shino Aburame, please come down." Genma said. Kankuro growled quietly as he did not wish to show his hand until the invasion. While he was confident that he could beat the coat wearing Shino, he had to think of the mission first.

"Procter, I wish to forfeit this match." Kankuro said, gaining surprised looks from everyone, except Gaara. Shino and Naruto were more surprised.

"Are you sure about this?" Genma asked. Kankuro nodded and stepped back from the railing. "Very well, the winner of the second match is Shino Aburame." The announcement didn't help the crowd as they were itching to see a fight. Naruto looked at Shino.

"Tough break there Shino, I'm sure you would have beaten him." Naruto said.

"You can't really say that Naruto as he was very skilled. However, don't you find it odd that he forfeited the match?" Shino asked quietly.

"Yeah, he acted like a guy who would want to flaunt his skills." Naruto answered. With the Sand sibling, Temari was getting nervous.

'_Damn it, we need to stall for more time. I understand what Kankuro did but he really did it without thinking. I guess that I'll just have to make this match good.'_ Temari thought. She suddenly whipped out her fan and used it like a glider. She landed on the field and closed her fan. She looked up at Shikamaru. "Come on, let's fight!"

"She seems eager." Naruto said. Shikamaru sighed in frustration. He didn't really want to fight this girl as she seemed just as troublesome as his mother and Ino. He decided that he didn't want to become chūnin and was about to follow Kankuro's lead. As he was about to submit, he was suddenly grabbed from behind and tossed out of the competitor's box. He hit the ground with a thud. Naruto and Shino turned to see who had just thrown their friend down.

"Ino? What are you doing here? Why did you do that to Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I came up here to congratulate you in person. As for Shikamaru, the lazy bum was about to forfeit and I wasn't about to let that happen." Ino said. She then looked down at the unmoving form of Shikamaru. "Go get her Shikamaru! I know that you can do it!" All she got was a glare. She turned her attention back to Naruto. "That was an awesome match Naruto."

"Thanks. I gave it my best." Naruto said.

"Who knows, you might just win this whole tournament." Ino said.

"You really think so?"

"Well, we can't call you the dead-last any more. You did just beat last year's rookie of the year without too much trouble. Yeah, I think you can do it."

"Wow, thanks Ino. I'll show you and everyone that I can." Naruto said.

"Easy Naruto, don't get too excited. Anyway, I'll be cheering for you in the stands. Good luck." Ino said and left the competitor's box. Naruto couldn't stop smiling and was pumped to show Ino that she was right to believe in him. Unknown to either of them, Gaara watched the whole thing and he was not happy one bit. He remembered every word that Naruto said to him at the hospital and as he watched him interact with that girl, he raged at how hypocritical he was. He had a friend while he had no one. Oh, he was going to make him pay.

After he killed the Uchiha, Uzumaki was next.

_**XXX**_

Shikamaru lay on the ground, refusing to get up. He couldn't believe that Ino had done that to him. That stupid girl was always a pain in the butt. He wanted to get revenge but that would be too troublesome with her recent improvement. Still, he had to make her pay somehow.

"Hey! Are you going to lay there for this whole match?!" Temari shouted. Shikamaru said nothing and stared at the sky. That infuriated her and she charged at the downed Nara. Seeing her charge, Shikamaru sighed. It seems that he would be forced to fight another girl. He pulled out two kunai and a paper ball.

_**XXX**_

Ino returned to see that Chōji was sitting with Tenten. She made her way to her seat and looked at her teammate who had a large bag full with other bags of chips.

"Didn't you just get out of the hospital with a stomach ache?" Ino asked with a deadpan tone.

"It's not that much chips." Chōji whined. This made Ino sigh and Tenten giggle. Chōji looked at the field and saw Shikamaru fighting the Sand kunoichi. "What is Shikamaru doing?"

"He's running away, that's what." Tenten said with amusement.

"No, I mean, why is Shikamaru fighting. I figured he would have surrendered. That girl looks way into the fight and he would find that troublesome." Chōji explained.

"Well, I wouldn't let him surrender so I gave him a gentle push into fighting." Ino said. She looked at the fight and snarled. "Come on Shikamaru, stop running and fight her!" Chōji looked at his friend and began eating with a smile. Ino would never understand Shikamaru as he was not the type to engage in combat. Sooner or later, Shikamaru would surrender.

_**XXX**_

Shikamaru hid behind the trees, looking at the sky. He sighed for what seemed like the fifth time. He covered himself as a fierce wind hit the tree he was hiding behind. He could see the cuts that the wind left on the side of tree. He just couldn't believe how determined this girl was. Why did he always have to fight women like that? He could hear her calling him names and telling him to fight her. Like hell he was going to do that. He looked at the sky and wished that he was cloud. They just moved with the flow of time, not bothering anyone and no one bothering them.

He suddenly stood up and prepared himself to fight. It was going to be a hassle but it would not be as troublesome if his mother got word of his performance. He looked out and saw several things on the battlefield. After getting a view of the battlefield, Shikamaru did an unfamiliar seal. Temari saw this and readied herself for whatever he had planned.

_**XXX**_

"Finally, he's beginning to get serious." Asuma said with a sigh of relief.

"What are you talking about? Is it because of that seal he's making?" Kurenai asked.

"It isn't a seal. It's his thinking pose. When things get too dicey for him, he does that pose. After he done thinking, it's a sure thing that he would win." Asuma said.

"Come on, he won't win just because he's thinking." Kurenai said.

"Don't underestimate him like you did Naruto. The truth is Shikamaru's greatest strength is his mind. He actually has an IQ over two hundred." Asuma said. He watched as Shikamaru had just finished thinking. "Just watch Kurenai, you're about to see something amazing."

_**XXX**_

Shikamaru pulled out three kunai and stabbed them in front of him. He did the seal for his Shadow Possession Jutsu. His shadow raced after Temari who jumped back to a line that she created to mark the distance of his technique. When she was behind it, she believed herself to be safe. When the shadow stopped, a kunai appeared right at the line. She saw small ball attached to it. It suddenly exploded into a smoke cloud, blinding her. Temari was coughing but she saw that his shadow had passed the line. She quickly jumped away when two kunai cut off her movement. They too had smoke bombs attached to them.

Temari caught on to his plan after the second smoke bomb and she wasn't about to let him get the upper hand. She opened her fan to three moons.

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari called out and a large gust of wind blew the smoke away. This reduced Shikamaru's range with the Shadow Possession Jutsu. When the smoke cleared, Temari smirked at Shikamaru. "That was a nice try but not good enough. It's time I ended this." She said and reared her fan back. Suddenly, she couldn't move her body. It was as if it was frozen in place. "What? Why can't I move?"

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, success." Shikamaru said with a grin.

"No, it isn't possible. I blew away your smoke and there is enough light for you to extend your shadow." Temari said with shock.

"That's pretty good that you figured that out. You're right, I couldn't reach you with this much light but I had help in another way. Like I told that troublesome girl from the Sound, you should have a better awareness to your surroundings. Those smoke bombs were just a distraction and a tool to get you to where I wanted you." Still seeing that she was confused, Shikamaru turned his head to show her the large crater that she was standing next to. She remembered this crater as the one that Naruto made. She looked closer and saw a small tunnel. Her head was moved again and he showed her where the connection was. The man-size hole was a few feet to his left.

"Y-You used the hole that the blond used to go underground to connect your shadow to me?" Temari asked in awe.

"Yeah, I noticed it when you were trying to blow me away with your attack. Anyway, I think it's time that _I_ end this." Shikamaru said. Temari couldn't believe that she had lost to this slacker. He treated her like a puppet and led her into his trap. She growled and closed her eyes as she didn't want to see what he was about to do to her. That is until she heard him said. "I give up." Her eyes shot open and she looked at him with shock.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You heard me; I said that I give up. This thing is so annoying and I don't want to be a part of it anymore." He said to her. Her shock suddenly turned into rage.

"Are you kidding me? After all you did, you're just giving me the match! You sexist pig, I don't need you to go easy on me!" Temari shouted.

"Who said anything like that you troublesome woman? As you can see, you can move and my shadow is still connected. You shouldn't be able to do that, so I know that I don't have the chakra to continue. What are you so angry about? Kami, you're just as annoying as my mother and Ino." Shikamaru stated. Temari was red in the face and reached for her fan. Genma stepped in before she could shed his blood.

"Winner of the match, Temari of the Sand." Genma said. The crowd was disappointed about the outcome and let Shikamaru hear it. The Nara heir didn't even care and made his way back to the competitor's box.

_**XXX**_

"Well, was that a part of his plan too?" Kurenai asked with amusement. Asuma just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. '_Still, that was a brilliant strategy he came up with. If he was leading a battalion of men, he would have won that battle. Hell, if he and Naruto ever get together on the field, they wouldn't lose. He definitely deserves to be promoted.'_ The red-eyed beauty thought. Maybe she should stop underestimating the dead-last students. It was clear that they were not as weak as she thought.

_**XXX**_

"Ino, you need to calm down." Chōji said. He was currently struggling to hold on to her as she wanted to get to the competitor's box and bash Shikamaru's skull in. "Hey Tenten, can you give me a hand here." The brunette did help and they managed to subdue the enraged kunoichi.

_**XXX**_

After that fight, it was time to get to the match that everyone wanted to see. However, Sasuke had yet to arrive. Genma looked around and wondered what the Hokage was going to do. Before the Hokage could give his ruling though, Kakashi finally arrived with Sasuke. The one-eyed jōnin shoved Sasuke forward before turning his back from him and vanishing. Sasuke glared at the spot but did nothing else. As the crowd cheered, Kakashi appeared next to his fellow jōnin.

"Yo." He greeted them.

"Cutting it kind of close there?" Asuma said.

"This time, it wasn't my fault. I couldn't find him after I told him to meet me near the stadium. I finally found him at his parents' graves. I let him speak with them before I to force him out and bring him here. I'm just glad that he's out of my hair." Kakashi said.

"Well, you missed some great matches. Naruto did very well against Neji, Shino won by forfeit and Shikamaru lost to that Sand kunoichi. I wouldn't be surprised if Naruto and Shikamaru got promoted." Kurenai told him.

"Is that so? I'll have to get a tape of that match." Kakashi said. That's when Gaara appeared on the field. Kakashi focused on the match and couldn't help but wonder what Sasuke had in store for the psychotic genin.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was also interested in this match. He wanted to see what Kakashi taught Sasuke. Suddenly, Shikamaru came in running and out of breath. Naruto and Shino looked at him with worry.

"Is something wrong Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto we have to get to your sensei and stop this match. If we don't, Sasuke is going to get killed." Shikamaru said to him.

"What happened?" Shino asked.

"I just watched him kill two Grass ninja and he was smiling. This guy isn't stable." Shikamaru said.

"We should listen to him Naruto. My team watched as he killed a Rain team without remorse. We must get you sensei to stop this match." Shino said.

"Alright, let's go and find him." Naruto said and the three left to find Kakashi.

_**XXXXX**_


	14. Chapter 14

The two combatants looked at each other. Genma could feel the tension between the two and took a couple of steps back. Sasuke, who was dressed in a black, one-pieced version of his original outfit with many small arm-belts adorning his left arm and similar bands around both legs, smirked at Gaara. Gaara looked at him with no expression and un-corked his gourd. As the sand filtered out, he suddenly grabbed his head in pain. Sasuke watched as the red-head was suddenly talking to himself. Sasuke just scoffed and ran at Gaara. Gaara's eyes flashed and Sasuke was forced to back away from a wave of sand.

Sasuke did some hand seals and took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke shouted and blew out large ball of flame. The flame engulfed Gaara and surrounded him. Suddenly, the fire was snuffed out with by Gaara's sand. Sasuke saw that he had that expression again. Gaara glared at him and several bullets of sand came at him and an incredible speed. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and moved quickly out of the way. He moved at an amazing speed, utilizing the copied technique of Rock Lee. He moved in to get at Gaara but was stopped by Gaara's sand. Sasuke cursed and kept attacking, trying to find and weak point in Gaara's defensive.

_**XXX**_

"Wow, you have taught him well my rival." Gai said to Kakashi. "At his current speed, he should be able to keep ahead of Gaara's sand. Is that all you taught him?"

"Yeah, I didn't have much of a choice since he copied Lee's style. He doesn't deserve training after everything he has pulled." Kakashi said.

"Do not give up on him yet Kakashi. Perhaps, there is a light through all that darkness." Gai said. Kakashi just shrugged at him and watched the match. Seconds later, Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru came running into the stands. Naruto stopped in front of Kakashi and led the two toward him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto, congratulation on your victory." Kakashi said.

"We've got more pressing matters. You've got to stop the match." Naruto said.

"How come?" he asked. Shikamaru stepped forward and faced the one-eyed jōnin.

"I witnessed Gaara kill two Kusagakure shinobi in cold blood. He had no remorse in his eyes. We have to stop the match or else Sasuke is going to get killed." He said. Kakashi looked at them and then back at the field.

"I understand your point boys but Sasuke will give up eventually. All I've really taught him was how to avoid the sand. He does not have your kind of stamina Naruto so he will get tired very soon." Kakashi explained.

"Even though, Gaara is likely to just kill him just for the hell of it." Naruto said.

"Don't worry; I will step in if it gets too serious." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi, you said that you only taught Sasuke speed right?" Gai asked. Kakashi looked at him with a curious eye. "Oh, you are not good to like this Kakashi."

_**XXX**_

Sasuke looked at Gaara from his spot on the stadium wall. He had an expression of frustration and anger on his face. Nothing he did was working against him. Even with his increased speed, he couldn't get through his defensive. He cursed Kakashi for his attitude and his lack of thought. It was his fault that he was not prepared to face Gaara. It was his fault that he was not strong enough. He promised himself that he would make Kakashi's life a living hell for all he did to him during this one month.

He watched as Gaara waited for him to attack. He felt that this distance would be enough to use his new jutsu. If there was one thing he would thank Kakashi for, it was this new attack. He knew that he had a strong tool in his quest for vengeance and it was time to show it. He unbuckled the small arm belts that surrounded his left arm and readied himself.

'_Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Tiger, Monkey,'_ Sasuke mentally spoke as he did the hand seals he copied from Kakashi. He held his palm down and focused his chakra. A screeching sound was heard throughout the stadium. Lightning surrounded his hand and created a crater on the wall. Sasuke had a sinister grin on his face and his Sharingan spun wildly.

_**XXX**_

Gai looked at his rival and watched as the man was boiling with anger. Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru took a step back as the elite jōnin was leaking killer intent. Kakashi glared at Sasuke as he used his original technique. It was a technique that he created and perfected over his years as a jōnin. He would have never had given it to Sasuke as he didn't know the value of a life. All that mattered to him was revenge. He knew that Sasuke would only use his technique to kill.

Kakashi calmed himself down and he saw that he was making people uncomfortable. There was nothing he could do now but once the exams were over, he was going to have words with him, strong words.

_**XXX**_

Sasuke reared his arm back, creating a gouge into the stadium wall. He shot forward, running down the wall. He was gaining speed as he hit ground with a boom. He came out of the dust and ran at Gaara. Gaara attacked him with his sand but Sasuke's Sharingan was able to see where the attack was coming from. Gaara tried to smash him but it was not to be. Sasuke was within meters of Gaara when he thrust his arm forward.

"Chidori!" Sasuke roared. Gaara's sand automatically came up to protect him but Sasuke attack pierced right through it, surprising Gaara. His surprise increased when he felt and unfamiliar pain in his right shoulder. Sasuke grinned as his attack landed and increased the voltage, shocking Gaara. Gaara screamed in pain as his mind processed what was happening. Once it was over, Sasuke removed his arm and jumped back a few feet. Gaara dropped to his knees and held his shoulder. When he touched it, he felt something wet and sticky. He put his hand in front of him and saw red.

"Is this… my blood? It's my blood. THIS IS MY BLOOD!" Gaara roared. Sand whipped wildly around the area, smashing the ground and walls. His gourd broke apart and surrounded Gaara's shoulder. Gaara continued to scream as his sand wrapped around him like a cocoon. Suddenly, the screaming stopped and it was replaced with a low growl. When the dust settled, everyone was suddenly hit with a wave of dread.

Sasuke took a step back at what he saw. Half of Gaara's was covered, his face distorted and one his eyes was yellow. He had markings around the eye and was sporting a tail. His one arm looked more like a claw. He growled and glared at the person who hurt him. Sasuke was truly afraid at what he was facing now.

"W-What the hell are you?" Sasuke asked.

"**You made me feel pain! ALLOW ME TO RETURN THE FAVOR!**" Gaara roared and charged at Sasuke at twice the speed. Sasuke couldn't dodge in time and was struck with Gaara's claw. Sasuke shouted as the claws cut him. He snapped out of his shock and dodged Gaara's follow up strike. Gaara reared his arm back across his body, glaring at Sasuke's moving form. "**Sand Shuriken!**" Sasuke watched as several projectiles came at him much faster than he was moving. He was struck several times and tumbled across the ground. He was grabbed by Gaara's claw and hoisted into the air. He was slammed to the ground with great force before Gaara lifted him into the air again.

The crowd watched in horror as Gaara brutalized Sasuke. Some were shouting for the referee to stop the match. Kakashi had seen enough and made his way down to the grounds. He joined Genma and faced the grotesque Gaara.

"That's enough! He has lost and you have won your fight!" Genma shouted.

"**Get away from me! He will die today!**" Gaara exclaimed and began to crush the life out of Sasuke. Sasuke grimaced as he felt his bones crack. Suddenly, Gaara's claw was cut by something. Sasuke hit the ground and Gaara was enraged.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Gaara turned to see a massive fireball before it crashed down on him. After a few seconds, Gaara's roar blasted the fire away. His claw returned and he searched franticly for whoever did that to him. He found his target, which was standing on the stadium wall.

"**YOU!**" Gaara roared. Everyone turned to see Naruto standing there. He looked at Gaara with a deadpan look.

"Man, I put some chakra into that fireball." Naruto muttered. He quickly forgot about that and looked at Gaara. "You want a fight Gaara?! Then, catch me if you can!" Naruto shouted and jumped away. Gaara roared and took off after him. Kakashi looked like he was about to follow him when he felt the effects of a genjutsu. He turned to see several people begin to fall asleep. That's when an explosion of smoke caught his attention. He turned to see the Hokage being held by the Kazekage. He couldn't worry about the Hokage or Naruto now. He picked up Sasuke and made his way to the stands.

He arrived and had to duck as enemy ninja came flying pass him. Another fell next him as Kurenai appeared with a bloody kunai. He set Sasuke down where Ino, Tenten and Chōji were. Asuma arrived later with Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru. Kakashi wasted no time and undid the genjutsu that was on them. Everyone groaned and was wondering what all the noise was for.

"What the hell… How long have we been out?" Kiba asked. That's when everyone noticed the fighting going around.

"W-What is g-going on?" Hinata asked with worry.

"Okay, I'm going to be quick about this. Right now, we are under attack." Kakashi said, gaining several gasps from the ground. "The Sand and the Sound are the ones attacking us. Every jōnin and chūnin is needed to hold off the attack. While I would have someone more experienced, I need to count on you guys to complete and A-rank mission. Do you all understand?" he got no answer at first but they all slowly became serious and faced Kakashi. The jōnin smiled under his mask as did the other jōnin.

"Hinata, I don't know if you have healed or not, so I need you to take cover and help out if you can." Kurenai said. Hinata nodded as she remembered that she had an attack earlier.

"Kiba, Ino, Chōji and Tenten, your mission is to get Sasuke to one of the shelters in order to get medical treatment. Tenten, you are team leader with Kiba as your second." Kakashi said.

"Understood sensei." Tenten said.

"Shino, Shikamaru!" Kakashi called out. Shino appeared next to him but not Shikamaru. He arrived later when he was forcibly wakened from his fake nap. He muttered a troublesome before facing everyone. "I need you two to go and back-up Naruto. I have a feeling that Gaara's siblings are on their trail."

"What about Naruto? He's fighting that nut case!" Ino exclaimed.

"Don't worry about Naruto. He can handle it." Kakashi said confidently. He looked at Shino. "Can you track him?"

"I placed a bug on him before he rushed in to help. I already have the scent." Shino said.

"Good. Everyone has their orders. I want you all to be careful and to watch each other's back. Gai, make a door. Kurenai, cover their departure." Both jōnin nodded and did their task. As Chōji grabbed Sasuke, Gai punched a hole through the stadium wall, leading to the outside. Kurenai used a genjutsu that blanketed the genin from view. They all left through the hole to complete their objectives. Unknown to everyone they were spotted by two people.

The first was Sakura. She had managed to dispel the genjutsu when it was casted. She hit the deck when the kunai started flying. She wanted to make her way to the arena grounds in order to save Sasuke. That's when she saw that Kakashi had gotten to him first. She careful made her way to where he and the other jōnin were. When she got there, she heard the last bit of the mission he assigned to them. She was a bit angry that Kakashi did not include in on protecting Sasuke. As they were leaving, Sakura was about to join them but realized that Kakashi would probably stop her. She decided to sneak out and follow them in order to make sure that Sasuke was safe.

The second was a disguised Kabuto. He saw the jōnin converse but did not know what about. He lost sight of them when Kurenai used a genjutsu. When he broke the genjutsu, the genin were gone and the jōnin were once again fighting. He noticed that Sasuke wasn't there as well. He cursed but then suddenly smiled when he saw Sakura leaving the stadium. He signaled nine Sound ninja to him.

"I need you to retrieve something that belongs to Lord Orochimaru. That girl will lead you to him. Kill anyone that gets in your way." He ordered. They nodded and vanished. He readied himself as there was a war happening in front of him.

_**XXXXX**_


	15. Chapter 15

Naruto dodged another volley of sand that ripped through the bark of the trees. Man, Gaara was persistent. He looked back to see that Gaara but it really wasn't Gaara. He looked like a raccoon-dog with human legs. He could also see black smoke in the distance. He was worried about that as he didn't know what was going on. Feeling that he led the crazy genin away from people, Naruto decided that it was time to stop running.

Naruto used his Illusion Dance to get close to Gaara, surprising him. He was hit with a vicious clothesline and was falling out of the tree. Naruto summoned three clones who followed Gaara down. They attacked Gaara as he was falling. Gaara tried to fend them off but Naruto and his clones kept using the Illusion Dance. Naruto did some seals and took a deep breath while doing hand seals.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto roared and spat out at Gaara. A huge explosion was heard throughout the forest. Naruto and his clones landed and waited for the smoke to clear. Suddenly, a massive amount of sand shot out. Naruto barely avoided it but his clones didn't. He landed and Gaara came at him from out of the smoke snarling like an animal. He avoided his claw strike and twisted in mid-air to avoid the tail. He landed and launched an Air Blade at him. The blade of wind hit Gaara but didn't do any damage. Naruto cursed and got some distance. Gaara wouldn't allow him and charged at him.

Naruto was on the defensive and was constantly using his Illusion Dance to escape. He them summoned a bunch of clones to confuse and distract. Gaara began sucking in air through various mouths all over his body.

"**Wind Style: Sand Devastation!**" Gaara shouted as he blew out a sandstorm at Naruto and his clones. They were instantly destroyed and Naruto hit the ground hard. Gaara ended his technique and laughed at his opponent.

"**Is that it? Is this the best you can do Uzumaki?**" Gaara mocked.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" Naruto voice came. Gaara was dragged underground and only had his head showing. Naruto popped out of the ground before running off quickly. Seconds later, Gaara was consumed in a major explosion. Naruto watched from his hidden spot to see if Gaara was down. He wasn't too surprised to hear laughter. The smoke cleared to see Gaara step out of the ground. He watched as his lower half was beginning to regenerate.

"**This is fun Uzumaki! You are proving to be very entertaining! Come on, SHOW ME MORE!**" Gaara roared. Naruto narrowed his eyes before summoning a mass number of clones. This made Gaara smirk as he readied himself.

_**XXX**_

Some distance away, Shino and Shikamaru were having a battle of their own. They managed to catch up and cut off the two from supporting Gaara. They first tried to get them to surrender but Temari had other ideas. She moved in a burst of speed and attempted to crush Shikamaru with her fan. She missed but quickly opened her fan and launched an attack at Shikamaru. Shikamaru saw the determination and rage in her eyes and decided to make a hasty retreat into the leaves. Temari followed him with roar.

Shino and Kankuro looked at the scene with a measure of shock but they quietly faced each other. Kankuro released his puppet 'Crow' while Shino unleashed his Parasitic Destruction Insects. Kankuro immediately went into hiding while Shino sent his insects to get him. Kankuro then began to fire weapons at Shino who dodged. Shino saw that they were dipped in poison. Shino went into hiding after that. The battle between the two settled into who would make the first mistake.

The two genin of Konoha would not back down however. They were there to make sure that their comrade would be safe. They only hoped that he was doing well against the monster they saw who was Gaara.

_**XXX**_

Tenten, Ino, Choji, Akamaru and Kiba were moving quickly but carefully through the village streets. Tenten had Kiba and Akamaru lead them because of his sense of smell. The two were able to lead the team through the village and avoid any battles that were going on. Ino kept checking on Sasuke who was unconscious. Choji carried him as carefully as he could but when they had to move, he couldn't avoid be nice. They were making good time when Kiba called for them to stop.

"What is it Kiba?" Tenten said. Kiba looked at Akamaru who barked at him. Kiba turned to the guys.

"We're being followed and we know who it is." Kiba said with some annoyance. That surprised everyone until someone came at them from behind. They couldn't believe who had followed them.

"What the… What are you doing here Sakura?" Ino asked hotly.

"I came to make sure that Sasuke-kun was okay." Sakura said.

"Are you kidding me? You left the safety of the stadium to make sure that your boyfriend was okay?" Tenten hissed.

"Hey, I don't trust you guys to protect him!" Sakura shouted.

"Keep your voice down. We're in the middle of a damn war." Ino spat. Sakura glared at her but didn't shout at her.

"We're you followed Sakura?" Tenten demanded.

"No, I wasn't followed." Sakura sneered. That's when Akamaru started barking rapidly. Kiba's eyes widen and he faced the group.

"We have to get moving now." He said with urgency. The group began to move quickly, making the ride uncomfortable for Sasuke.

"Hey, be careful Choji." Sakura said.

"You have no say in this Sakura." Kiba spat. "Thanks to you, we're being pursued." Everyone looked at Kiba with surprised.

"N-No, I made sure that I wasn't followed." Sakura stammered.

"Well, you didn't do a good job at it! Akamaru said that there are nine shinobi on our ass. They must have tailed you from the stadium to us. Thanks a lot Sakura." Kiba said with an edge.

"Damn it, how long do we have until they catch up with us?" Tenten asked. Kiba sniffed the air.

"They know that they've been discovered and are closing in on us. Their scent is getting stronger as they near us." Kiba informed.

"Why don't we lead them into one of the various fights going on?" Sakura suggested. They looked at her like she was stupid.

"This was your 'Top Kunoichi'?" Tenten asked everyone. She turned back to face Sakura. "Listen here Haruno; you are to keep your mouth shut. Right now, we need clear thinkers, not some fan-girl who just might have gotten her crush killed. So, just keep moving and shut up." Sakura was red in the face in anger. Tenten ignored her and continued with the mission. She needed to think of a plan. That when Choji spoke.

"Hey, isn't that Naruto's playground?" he said. Kiba looked to where Choji was talking about.

"Holy crap, I forgot about that place. And from what it smells like, there's a shelter need there." Kiba said.

"Naruto's playground?" Ino asked.

"It's where Naruto led bullies into some pretty cool traps. This one guy fell into a pit and Naruto peed on him." Kiba said. Ignoring the disgust, Tenten looked at Kiba.

"Do you know your way around the traps?" she asked.

"Yeah, he created a safe path." Kiba said.

"Hey, we can use clones to lead them toward the traps." Ino added.

"Not a bad decision. Okay, Kiba, Akamaru, lead us through the safe zone. Choji, you make clones of yourself and of Sasuke and lead them into the traps." Tenten ordered. Everyone nodded and made their way toward the field.

_**XXX**_

Naruto landed a Corkscrew Blow on Gaara, making him take a step back. He was hit from all sides with Air Blades courtesy of Naruto's clones. Gaara dropped to a knee after an Air Blade hit him in the knee. Naruto hit him two more punches but Gaara stuck back and sent Naruto flying with a backhand. He then used another Sand Devastation to take out the clones. When the dust cleared, Naruto stood facing Gaara. Naruto was breathing a little hard but so was Gaara. Despite the fatigue, Gaara was smiling.

"**I actually felt those blows. You keep making this more fun.**" Gaara said with a grin.

"I'm glad that you're amused. Looks like I'm going to have to try harder. I need to get back to the village." Naruto said.

"**You should be more concerned with what's going on in front of you. You won't be getting back to the village alive. You remember, I said that I was going to kill you.**" Gaara said.

"Yeah, I remember but so far, you haven't really kept that promise. Besides, I'm concerned about some of my friends, something that you don't know anything about." Naruto said. This seems to make Gaara angry.

"**What the hell do you know?! You judge my humanity when I had no one and you had others to help you! You're a hypocrite!**" Gaara shouted.

"You think I had someone for all of my life?! I had to work hard to gain my friends! Sure, it was hard but I didn't give up! What about you?! Did you try your hardest?! Did you not give up?!" Naruto shouted.

"**SHUT UP! YOU WOULDN'T BE SPOUTING SUCH NOSENSE IF YOU WITNESSED THE DEATH OF SOMEONE YOU CARED FOR!**" Gaara roared. Suddenly, he got a wicked grin. "**Like that girl who congratulated you, I wonder how it would feel when you watch her die.**" Naruto was confused when he realized who he was talking about. "**Yes, I should go and find her. When I do, I'll crush her into nothing. I let you watch as she calls out to you for help but you can't. Then we'll see if you will still have sure conviction.**" Gaara jumped into the air, planning to make his way by toward the village. He was suddenly cut off by a pair of red eyes. He was struck and struck hard. He crashed through a tree before hitting the ground with a boom. He struggled to stand when he felt a huge amount of anger. He turned to see Naruto glaring at him. His eyes were red with black slits, his whisker marks were darker and his nails grew a little longer. He growled, showing his fangs.

"**You go anywhere near her and I will rip you limb from limb.**" Naruto threaten in a deep voice. Gaara stood and faced him with a smile.

"**Why don't you try and stop me Uzumaki.**" Gaara challenged and motioned him to come and get him. Naruto growled and charged at Gaara. Gaara did the same and the two roared at each other.

_**XXX**_

Nine Sound ninja watched as the group entered a forest area. They found it humorous that they thought that they could escape through the forest. They were trained and showed every place and spot in Konoha. Running through the forest was a waste of time in their eyes. They all made their way into the forest to capture the genin. As the eight entered the trees, the ninth followed behind them. He suddenly fell through deep hole. He hit his head on the sides and was knocked out cold as he hit the ground. The others would not know about the loss of their back-up.

The eight Sound ninja followed Choji who was carrying Sasuke. Four followed from the ground while four followed from the trees. That's when everything started to go wrong for the Sound shinobi. One of the men jumped on a branch, which broke under his weight. He fell but quickly flipped in midair to land on the ground. This, however, triggered the pit trap that he fell into. What was special about this pit, was the logs that blocked the way down. The Sound ninja hit the first log with his knees, breaking them. He cried out as he hit two more logs, breaking, bruising or cracking something. He hit the ground in pain.

Two Sound ninja turned to help but one of the triggered a trap. That person was hit by a sand bag that sent him flying into a swamp. The Sound ninja attempted to get out of the muck but it made him sink faster. His comrade attempted to help but the ground gave way he was sent tumbling into the same muck. Three down, the other five were being a little more cautious. They weren't cautious enough as three of them was hit with some sort of gas. They immediately hit the ground, scratching themselves vigorously.

The remaining two were wondering what the hell was going on. They stopped their pursuit of Choji and were looking around for anyone in the trees. They couldn't believe that they were led into an ambush. They moved carefully only to trigger another trap. This one was a large branch that knocked the wind out of one of the Sound ninja. He was hit again by a bag of rocks. Scared for his life, the last remaining Sound ninja ran. He was able to get out of the forest only to get shot down by a hail of shuriken. Two Konoha ninja appeared and looked at the dead Sound pursuer.

"Man, why didn't we think about this before?" one of them said.

"The risk was too great. We didn't know that there was a safe route through this ground. Those kids are pretty lucky that they knew. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy." The other said.

"Yeah, we still don't know how many more traps there is in this place. We need to make sure that Naruto get an accommodation for this." The ninja said. They both left to help defend the village.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes: **_I changed a lot in this chapter. When I read the chase in the original, I thought that I made it way too easy for the pursuers to get ambushed. I mean, they had to be chūnin or higher when it came to skill. While that might not have mattered, I didn't really like it. Also, since Sakura is on Kakashi's shit list, I didn't really think that he would trust her with such a mission. I didn't say this in the last chapter but I put it out there just in case. The idea behind Naruto's Playground was for the comic. I believe it was chapter zero. I saw that Naruto had this guy in a pit, the kid insulted him and Naruto peed on him. I just thought that it was more creative.

I hope you like the new chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Gaara hit the ground with a boom. The transformed Sand shinobi struggled to stand as he glared at his opponent. His sand was starting to fall off as the relentless assault of Naruto was beginning to wear on him. The blond was glaring at him, his fist clenched and poised to attack.

"**You got what you wanted Gaara but you aren't even putting up a challenge.**" Naruto sneered.

"**Curse… you…**" Gaara snarled. He just couldn't understand why this was happening. He got Naruto to fight him by threatening that girl and since them he had been dominated by him. Was that it? Was it because of that girl he threatened? That couldn't be it. He had no one and he was a relentless killing machine. As long as he loved himself, he was unbeatable. Yet, here was someone like him, fighting for others and was winning. Was he truly so strong because he fought for others?

"**NO! I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR WAY OF THINKING! I WILL END THIS NOW!**" Gaara roared and his sand consumed him and grew. Naruto took a step back as the dust cleared. When it did, he was now facing a huge raccoon-dog. Its tail swished back and forth. It looked down at Naruto as the body of Gaara appeared on its head.

"I can't believe that you forced me to go this far but it's over now. I'm going to kill you, then destroy your village." Gaara said.

"**Like hell you will!**" Naruto shouted and swiped some blood from the wound on his shoulder. He wiped it on his palm and did some hand seals. He slammed his hand on the ground. "**Summoning Jutsu!**" There was a loud pop and a lot of smoke. When it died down, Naruto was standing on the head of the Chief Toad, Gamabunta. He faced Gaara and glared. "If you want to destroy my village, you'll have to go through us!"

"**Hey brat, why did you summon me here?! I thought I told you to never to summon me again?!**" Gamabunta grumbled.

"I didn't really have much of a choice. You are the strongest of the toads' right?" Naruto argued. He then sighed and faced the large toad. "Look, I'm sorry if I insulted you. I'm not really calm when people insult me but I truly need your help. If he gets to the village, he will lay waste to it. I refuse to allow that to happen. I'm going to be Hokage one day and as the future Hokage, I have to protect the Leaf, no matter what!" Gamabunta looked at the blond and was a little impressed with him. He looked forward to see who he was fighting.

'**_Like father, like son,_**' "**Alright brat, I'll help you this one time. But, you won't summon me again until we have a drink.**" Gamabunta said and he reached for his blade.

"You got it." Naruto said.

"Very interesting, you are just so very interesting. Let's see how you deal with the full power of Shukaku the Sand Spirit!" Gaara shouted and placed his hands in a seal. "Play Possum Jutsu!" Naruto didn't know why but the battle had just gotten harder. He readied himself for an intense battle.

**_XXX_**

The battle between the Sand siblings and the Konoha genin had come to a stalemate. Temari had her fan ready but was barely keeping it up. Kankuro was now controlling the head and two arms of his puppet 'Crow'. Shino was on his knees, his bugs in a defensive position. Shikamaru looked ready to fall over and sleep. They then heard a crash and felt a wave wash over them. Kankuro looked at his sister.

"I can't believe that shorty actually forced Gaara to use that jutsu. How freaking strong is that kid?" Kankuro asked.

"I don't know but we need to finish these two off and get to Gaara." Temari said with concern.

"You will not be moving Sand ninja. We will protect our comrade from any attempts you may try." Shino stated.

"Besides, I don't know how but that moron summoned a large toad. That means he's been trained by the Toad Hermit, Jiraiya. Do you really what to make him angry?" Shikamaru asked. That made the two sweat as Jiraiya was a legend in the shinobi world.

"**Wind Style: Air Bullet!**" Shukaku roared.

"**Water Style: Liquid Bullet!**" Gamabunta shouted. The group of four was suddenly hit with a downpour of water mixed with wind. It was like a typhoon as they held on to their footing. Shikamaru shook some water out of his hair.

"Damn that Naruto, doesn't he know the word 'restraint'?" Shikamaru growled.

"Maybe he can't. You did not see the destruction that Gaara can unleash. He can't hold back against him." Shino said.

"Well, let's hope that he can end it soon. Something tells me that he's running out of juice."

**_XXX_**

Shikamaru couldn't be more right. Naruto was breathing hard as was Gamabunta. The two faced the one armed Shukaku and was wondering what they can do next. They had hit the damn sand spirit with everything they could think of and it just kept coming. He needed a plan and he needed one quick.

"Do you have any plans boss toad?" Naruto asked.

"**The only way to win is to wake the medium. With him asleep, Shukaku will just get stronger.**" Gamabunta said. Naruto began to rack his brain until he came up with an idea. It would be a long shot but it was the only thing that he could think of.

"Hey boss toad, I've got an idea but I need to get off for a while. You think you can last for two minutes?" Naruto asked.

"**It's been a while since I fought but I believe I can give you two minutes.**" The toad said.

"Good, when you see him falter, hit him with everything you got." Naruto said as he jumped off Gamabunta. He landed on the ground and moved quickly toward the Shukaku.

"**I don't think so!**" the spirit shouted and prepared to launch an Air Bullet at him. Gamabunta stopped him by hitting him with a Liquid Bullet that washed off some sand. Pissed, Shukaku sent a wave of sand that smashed into Gamabunta. He turned back to see that Naruto had disappeared. He cursed but turned his attention back to Gamabunta who was just getting up. "**I'll finish you off first!**" He began to gather a large amount of wind from several opening all over his body. It made him expand in size. He closed his mouth and looked at Gamabunta.

"**Shit!**"

"**Die! Wind Style: Air Cannon!**" Shukaku launch a white blast of compressed air at Gamabunta. Its speed was amazing as it consumed the large toad. Everything in its path was destroyed by the blast. When it was over, there was a huge gash in the ground and no Gamabunta. "**Ha, Ha, HE'S DEAD!**" he cheered.

"Ninja Art: Great Whirlpool Vortex!" Naruto shouted. The Shukaku was suddenly pulled into the ground. He cried out as he lost his footing and could not regain it. "Now boss toad!"

"**Okay!**" A voice from above bellowed. Gamabunta's cheeks were puffed out very large and he reared his head back. "**Water Style: Rampaging Water!**" A large torrent of water shot out of the Gamabunta's mouth. It hit the Shukaku dead on. The Shukaku roared as the attack was washing him away. It also woke up Gaara. Both were swept up by the powerful water and sent quite a distance. The only bad thing that happened was that Naruto was swept up as well. The attack ended and Gamabunta looked at his work. His attack did some damage, though not as much as Shukaku's attack. He knew that he caught Naruto in that attack but he was confident that he was okay.

He was curious though. He heard the name of Naruto's technique and that brought up quite a memory. The memory of a blond haired man's girlfriend who thought it would be funny to bury him into the ground. He chuckled at that and looked forward. While he wanted to see the end of the fight, that last attack weakened him greatly. He decided to leave the rest up to the boy. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**_XXX_**

The four genin were shocked at what they just witnessed. They were all taking covered as soon as Shukaku fired his Air Cannon. When it was over, they were sure that Gamabunta had died. That's when Naruto trapped Shukaku and Gamabunta fired an incredible water jutsu at them. It washed away the Shukaku, Gaara and Naruto.

"I… I don't believe this. Did Gaara… actually lose?" Kankuro asked in shock.

"GAARA!" Temari shouted and took off. Kankuro was quickly to his feet and followed her. Shikamaru groaned and tried to shake the cobwebs out.

"That troublesome blond, Shino are you okay?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, I am alright." Shino said.

"Good we better hurry up and get to Naruto before they do." Shikamaru said. Shino nodded and the two were off to stop the Sand siblings.

**_XXX_**

Naruto groaned as he was on all fours. He shook the water out of his hair.

"Damn it, did you have to blast me too boss toad?" Naruto grumbled. His danger sense went off and Naruto quickly rolled out of the way. On reflex, Naruto threw a kunai which hit it mark as told by Gaara's shout. Naruto stood and faced Gaara. His kunai was sticking out of his shoulder. He quickly realized that Gaara's Sand Armor must have been washed off by Gamabunta's attack. While he didn't have much chakra, Naruto knew that this was his only chance to finish the fight.

He charged at Gaara who put his hand up. As Naruto got in his face, Gaara threw a punch which went right through him. Confused, he didn't expect to be hit with a crushing force. He was then hit from all angles by Naruto's clones. He was launched into the air and caught by the blond. He threw him into the ground and landed with both of his feet into Gaara's sternum, knocking the wind out of him. Naruto stepped back and fell to the ground, totally spent.

Both demon containers could not move and laid on the ground. Gaara definitely had a broken jaw for the swelling he was getting and he had trouble breathing front Naruto's double foot stomp. Naruto was just out of chakra and it did not really feel that good.

"Damn, you are one hard bastard to fight. I don't think that I've ever been out of chakra before." Naruto said. Naruto turned to face him. He could see many questions in his eyes. Naruto sighed and looked at him. "I'm sorry about what I said." Gaara looked at him in surprise. "I guess I shouldn't have insulted you about your humanity thing. I really don't know what your situation is and it's probably worse than mine. Anyway, I shouldn't have judged you like that and I'm sorry."

"How…" Gaara winced in pain but he ignored it. "How… are you… so strong? Why… defend those… who will… never see… you as… nothing more than… a monster?" he asked.

"I defend them because they are precious to me. Sure, they hate me now but I'm hoping to change that and show them that I care despite it. This ninja who was my enemy told me that true strength can only be achieved it you have something to protect. You just need to find something to protect and you will become strong."

"Something… to… protect?" Gaara asked. Their conversation was cut short when Temari and Kankuro appeared. They were at Gaara's side in an instant.

"Gaara! Oh Gaara, please tell me that you're alright." Temari said with concern. The action surprised Gaara as she would always look at him with fear. Temari snapped her head over to Naruto and growled. "You son of a bitch,"

"I don't think so, you troublesome girl." Shikamaru voice said. He and Shino arrived and stood in front of Naruto. Kankuro joined his sister and they were ready to continue.

"Temari… Kankuro… that's… enough. We… have… lost." Gaara said. Kankuro and Temari had never seen their brother like this. Temari nodded and Kankuro made his move to grab his brother. Shino looked ready to attack but he was stopped by Naruto.

"Let them go Shino. The fight is over." Naruto said. Shino nodded and relaxed a little. Kankuro slung Gaara's arm around him and took off. Temari soon followed him as the three attempted to get out of Konoha. As they ran, Gaara was thinking over Naruto's words.

_'Something to protect? Do I have something to protect?'_ Gaara thought. He looked at his siblings who were trying to get him to safety. Maybe, he could start with them.

**_XXX_**

The battle for Leaf had ended, with the Leaf Village as the victor. The Sound Village and Sand Village were in full retreat and hurried to make their way out of the village with their lives. Everyone was still in the shelters and waited until they could leave. The shinobi were ready to defend the civilians for any remaining threat. The genin who arrived with Sasuke were defending the civilians as well.

Suddenly, Kiba caught a whiff something. Akamaru barked as well and confirmed what his nose was telling him.

"Hey guys, lower your weapons. We've got friendly's coming." Kiba said.

"Are you sure Kiba?" asked Ino.

"Yeah and they are familiar." Kiba said. They waited and they saw who it was. It was Shikamaru and Shino carrying an unconscious Naruto by his arms.

"Shikamaru, Shino, thank god you're safe." Ino said. Then she noticed Naruto's condition. "Oh my god, what happened to Naruto?!"

"Keep your voice down, we're still in the middle of a battle." Shikamaru said. The two genin dragged Naruto to one of the beds and laid him down on it.

"Is he okay?" asked Tenten.

"Yeah, considering the battle he's been in." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"Wait a minute; Naruto was fighting that Gaara guy right? Are you telling me that he beat him?" Kiba asked with shock.

"Yes, Naruto defeated Gaara using some very powerful techniques. He refused to allow Gaara to make his way to Konoha." Shino answered. There were some murmurs among the people in the shelter. There were some who had listened to the match on the radio and heard about the Sand ninja. They began to talk among themselves.

"Hey, isn't Gaara the kid who beat Sasuke?"

"Yeah, I think it is."

Wow, I can't believe Naruto beat somebody that beat Sasuke."

"Maybe he isn't as weak as people say." As they continued to talk among themselves, Sasuke was clenching his good arm. His other arm was in a make-shift sling as it was broken by Gaara. He listened in as Shino went into his explanation of the battle. When did Naruto learn to summon? That would mean that he was getting training from Jiraiya the Toad Hermit. Why was he training that loser? Sasuke growled and wanted some more answers. How could Naruto win when he could not?

It angered him greatly and he swore to get to the bottom of Naruto's power. If Naruto wouldn't give it to him, then he was going to take it.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_** – I wrote this fight differently than I did in the last one. As you see I completely took out the funeral of the Sandaime like I did in the last one. It didn't really want to go into that and focus on the fight between Naruto and Gaara. I like this ending of the fight than the last one. Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter and send your reviews.


	17. Chapter 17

A week passed since the attempted invasion by the Sand and Sound. Everyone was getting back to their lives and rebuilding what they had lost in the battle. They had buried their dead and the body of their Sandaime Hokage days ago. That was death that hit many people but none harder than Naruto and Konohamaru. Both were sadden by his death and it showed in the funeral. Iruka comforted Konohamaru while Kakashi was there for Naruto. The blond was still down in the dumps but that changed over time thanks to Kakashi and surprisingly, Ino. Iruka came to see him later. Iruka, Naruto and Konohamaru would hang out and tell stories about the old man.

There was another change in Naruto's life that confused and shocked him. He noticed that a great deal of people was looking at him differently. It wasn't looks of disgust or fear but looks of acknowledgment. He instantly felt it from the shinobi who thanked him for his little area of traps. He got the story from Kiba and he was even awarded for it. Some of the civilians thanked him and a few stores that he couldn't get in were allowing him in. Ino told him that some people were glad for his protection against Gaara. It was a quick turn that Naruto was cautious about but he wouldn't lie and say he didn't like it.

"Hey Naruto, I think you've help out enough. You can go and take lunch if you want." A civilian man said.

"Okay, just let me know if you need my help again." Naruto said. He dispelled his clones and made his way toward Ichirakus. He had built up an appetite working with people, helping them rebuild.

**_XXX_**

Kakashi stood before the council. He had just finished with his request and looked at the council who looked at him with curiosity.

"You wish for us to suspend your team from duty? This is quite a time to spring this on us Kakashi. We need every available ninja right now." Koharu said.

"I understand that and you are right but my team would only be a hindrance. To tell you the truth, I am planning on having my team disbanded as soon as a new Hokage is introduced." Kakashi said.

"Are things that bad with your team Kakashi? Shikamaru told me that you were quite angry after learning that Sasuke stole your original technique." Shikaku said.

"It's more than that. Sasuke's superiority complex will only get worse as stories of Naruto's battle with the Sand's container is circulating around the village. His jealousy is ever growing that he does not care where he gets power from and how he gets it. His stealing my technique is proof of that. I know that he will not have any issue using it on anyone who gets in his way of getting power, be it friend or foe." Kakashi explained. The council murmured about that and you could see some were concern of that statement.

"What about your kunoichi Kakashi?" asked Tsume.

"She is a disgrace of a shinobi. As I am sure that you have read genin Tenten's report, she nearly got the team I sent to secure Sasuke killed. She challenged the commander and was insubordinate to jōnin at the shelter. She is a liability to the ninja force and should not be doing even the lowest of D-rank missions." Kakashi said. Another round of murmurs went around the room. After a few moments, Homura spoke.

"We agree with your request with the exception of Naruto Uzumaki. We have got word that he is helping out around the village with the rebuild. Also, Jiraiya has requested that he helps him with a mission that he will be undertaking soon." Kakashi nodded, bowed and left the room.

**_XXX_**

Sasuke glared at the boulder in front of him. The boulder sported two holes in it but they weren't as deep as he wanted it to be. He winced in pain and grabbed his recovering arm. He ignored the pain and returned his focus to the boulder. He was just so frustrated that he was not getting the same results that Kakashi showed with this technique. That bastard sensei wasn't any help either.

He confronted Kakashi after the funeral of the Sandaime. At first, he asked Kakashi to help him with the technique. When Kakashi flat-out refused, he was enraged. He shouted and ranted to the silver haired jōnin, demanding that he acted like a sensei and give him power. Kakashi closed the distance between them and his arm when right through the trunk of a tree. The glare he received from Kakashi shut him up and made him scared. Kakashi withdrew his arm and left. A while later, Sasuke observed the damaged and was determined to master this technique.

Sasuke tried everything but he could not produce the same results and it angered him. He blamed his weakness, he blamed Kakashi for refusing him and he blamed Naruto for being much stronger than. That grinning idiot had showed that he was not the 'dead-last' anymore. He defeated a person that he could not defeat. He was being trained by one of the damn Sannin and he was left with scrapes. It infuriated him that such a no-talent loser like him was getting all this attention. Wasn't he the 'Rookie of the Year'? Wasn't he an Uchiha? He deserved such attention, not Naruto.

He suddenly felt stronger as if his rage fueled him. He used this power and did the hand seals for the Chidori. With a roar, he charged at the boulder with a lightning infused hand. There was a large boom and dust covered Sasuke. When it cleared, Sasuke was on his knees. He looked up and saw that the attack did much better than he believed. He was shocked at first when he felt something on his shoulder. It was that mark that was giving to him by that guy in the forest. It was retreating back into a seal that surrounded the mark. He was curious about the mark but he liked the power that it gave him. It was intoxicating and it was giving him what he needed to use this technique. He didn't really listen when they explained what that other seal did but as long as it didn't mess with the mark, it was alright.

He decided to rest before training with it again.

**_XXX_**

"A mission?" Naruto asked. He was at Ichirakus and was enjoying some ramen when Jiraiya appeared. The two enjoyed a little banter before the man told him that he wanted him to come with him on a mission. "You want to do a mission with me?"

"Yeah, why not? It's going to be a very important one. Plus, we can train for a little bit. It'll be fun." Jiraiya said.

"I don't know. You did give me that cool jutsu but you had to throw me off a cliff for me to get it." Naruto said. Teuchi and Ayame whipped their heads around and glared at the sennin. Jiraiya laughed nervously and quickly spoke before the two cut into him.

"How about this? I'll teach you two jutsu. Both are pretty useful and one of them you can even use with your pranks. I heard that you like to do them from time to time." Jiraiya said. Naruto was thinking about it so Jiraiya sweeten the pot. "The other technique is stronger than Kakashi's technique that Sasuke stole."

"Alright then, you got a partner!" Naruto said with enthusiasm. Jiraiya just smirked at the blond.

**_XXX_**

Sasuke walked out of the hospital, his hand bandaged up. He had overused the Chidori and burnt his hand. The nurse was a little nosy about the arm as it was already healed. She made a comment about Naruto's healing factor that he ignored. As he made his way around the village, he looked at the curse mark. He looked at it with appreciation as it gave him what he needed. The power was indeed intoxicating. He wondered why Orochimaru gave it to him but he thanked the man for it. He would just have to learn to use it more and he could use his new technique.

As he continued to walk, he noticed that people were looking at him. That wasn't unusual but he saw that the looks were different than he encountered. It was like they were no longer holding him with high regard. He then heard someone make a comment about his wrapped hand, a comment that he was not happy with. Another comment he heard was that he wasn't as strong as people thought. Sasuke looked ready to run up on that guy when a chūnin appeared before him.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" the chūnin asked.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Sasuke asked rudely. The chūnin ignored the attitude and faced him.

"As of today, you have be removed from duty until a Hokage is inducted." The chūnin said, surprising Sasuke.

"What? What do you mean I've been removed from duty?!" Sasuke shouted.

"I don't know the details. All I know is that it was recommended and it was approved. That's all I have to say." The chūnin said and left before Sasuke could speak. Sasuke couldn't believe what just happened. He noticed that everyone was looking at him; some were trying hard not to laugh. He growled and stomped off before he lost control. As he stomped, he wondered who would do such a thing to him. The only person who could make a recommendation like that was Kakashi. He took off to the roofs in order to find his 'sensei'.

**_XXX_**

Kakashi was leaning against the wall of a tea shop, reading his favorite book. He noticed two people walking toward him and looked up from his book. It was Asuma and Kurenai. He quickly put the book away as it was known that Kurenai hated that book and was prone to destroy one on sight. They walked up to him and Kakashi greeted them.

"Hey guys, are you on another date?" Kakashi asked.

"W-What are you talking about? I'm here to get something for Anko and we met up." Kurenai said with a small blush.

"Hey Kakashi, word is you removed your team from duty? Has things gotten that bad? I know that you were pissed at what Sasuke did." Asuma said.

"Yeah, I'm even pushing for my team to be disbanded. Sasuke and Sakura have disappointed me time after time. I'm also worried about Naruto if he's still attached to the team. He doesn't need to have his improvement  
>held back by those two." Kakashi said. He made a motion with his eyes toward the two men that were in the tea shop. They both had on black robes with red clouds and a straw hat. One of the men had a large item that was bandaged.<p>

"Yeah, I can say that I don't disagree. What Naruto did against Neji was very impressive." Kurenai said. "Where is he anyway?" She asked this question because she noticed how one of them reacted to the name.

"He's around helping rebuild the village. A lot of people appreciate the work that he's been doing." Kakashi said. When he looked back, he noticed that the two were gone. He had a good scent on them, so he wouldn't lose them. He looked at the other two and they nodded. All three vanished and made chase after the two mystery men.

**_XXX_**

"We're going to get a new Hokage?" Naruto asked as he walked out of the gates with Jiraiya.

"Yeah, she's my old teammate and granddaughter of the Shodaime." Jiraiya said.

"So she's the last of your teammates? Where has she been all this time?" Naruto asked.

"That's not my story to tell kid. I would recommend that you don't ask as it may be deadly if you do." Jiraiya answered.

"Okay. Hey, do you think you can help me with a move I created? I can use it but I want to make it more effective." He asked.

"Sure but let's get some distance from the village first." Naruto nodded and the two continued their mission.

**_XXX_**

The two men walked along the canal, minding their own business. No one was in the area, which did not concern either one of them. After a while, the two stopped walking and stood there unmoving.

"I believe we are far enough for your liking. Why don't you come out now?" the shorter of the two called out. Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai appeared in front of the two. The two sides faced each other down.

"I had a feeling about you two. So, why don't you tell us who you are and why you are here?" Kakashi asked.

"I can't tell you why we're here but I guess I could tell you my name Kakashi-senpai." The shorter man said. That sent warning bells to the three as the shorter man removed his hat. When his face was shown, the three gasped in surprise.

"Itachi Uchiha," whispered Kakashi.

"Oh Itachi, it seems like they remember you. Well, let me introduce myself as well." The taller man said and removed his hat. The three jōnin were now sweating at the revelation of the other man.

"This has gotten troublesome. Why is the Monster of the Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki, doing with Itachi Uchiha?" Asuma asked.

"I don't know but we're about to find out. Get ready guys, this is going to be tough." Kakashi said. The three jōnin prepared themselves against the Uchiha clan's murderer and the Monster of the Mist.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_** – Yeah, its short but this was where I had the chapter ending. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

Sakura was in shock as she was just informed about her removal from duty. The chūnin that had just delivered the news had just left. Her mother and father looked at their daughter with concern and tried to comfort her. She dashed to her room and fell onto her bed in tears. She just couldn't wrap her head around that decision by her sensei. She knew that he was the only one with the authority to do this. Why was she being punished by Kakashi? Was it because of what happened during the Chūnin Exams?

Sakura just cried her eyes out and tried to rack her brain for a reason.

**_XXX_**

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma faced the two men that had infiltrated their village. They were very concerned as their opponents were S-rank missing ninjas, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Kisame gave them all a grin.

"It looks like that you are well known Itachi. They must really hate you." Kisame joked.

"You tend to be angry when you kill a whole clan." Asuma commented.

"I'll ask again Itachi, why are you here? Have you come to finish what you've started?" Kakashi asked demandingly.

"I have nothing to tell you Kakashi-senpai. Please, do not get in our way." Itachi said. Kakashi pulled out a kunai while Asuma pulled out his trench knives. Kurenai quickly did some hand seals and disappeared. Kisame smiled and attacked the two males. Asuma blocked the strike but he was nearly brought to his knees by the attack. He couldn't believe that with just one arm he was able to generate such strength. Kakashi quickly kicked the sword off Asuma before Kisame could pull it back. He dashed pass Kisame to engage Itachi.

The elder Uchiha stood there as Kakashi charged when he was wrapped up by a tree. From out of the tree, Kurenai was posed to deliver a killing blow. Itachi quickly change positions, surprising Kurenai. Itachi spun around to block a kick from Kakashi and the two began to fight on the water. Kurenai broke the genjutsu and decided to help Asuma. She was able to catch Kisame in a genjutsu, giving Asuma the chance to land a glancing blow on Kisame. Angry at getting cut, Kisame did some hand seals.

"Water Style: Shark Bomb!" Kisame growled and fired the jutsu at Kurenai. Asuma appeared in front of her and flipped his trench knives to hold them like swords. Channeling his chakra into them, he was able to cut through the water jutsu but was pushed back a few feet. Kisame just grinned and readied himself to fight some more.

Kakashi had revealed his Sharingan and stared down Itachi who activated his Sharingan. Kakashi was cautious about approaching him as Itachi was a master of the Sharingan. Itachi whipped his hand out and Kakashi's Sharingan eye widen. He quickly did some hand seals and called on a Water Wall just as six drills of water attempted to take his legs away. When the wall fell, Kakashi was gone. A screeching sound was heard and Itachi was run through by Kakashi's Lightning Blade. Kakashi was confused until he felt a spike of chakra. He was caught in an explosion as Itachi blew up. Kurenai and Asuma wanted to go and help by Kisame would not allow them to. Lucky for them, Kakashi was not harmed by the explosion. He was again face to face with Itachi.

"That was pretty clever, using a Shadow Clone to attack. You have truly gotten better with the Sharingan Kakashi-senpai. However," Itachi said and closed his eyes. Kakashi felt the spike of chakra and quickly closed his regular eye. "You cannot win against the ultimate form of the Sharingan." Itachi said as his Sharingan transformed. He looked at Kakashi in the eye and called out his jutsu. "Tsukuyomi." Kakashi was pulled from the normal world in a dark world of black and red. Strapped to a cross, Itachi appeared in front of him with a sword.

"This is the world of the Tsukuyomi. In this world, I control what happens here. For the next seventy-two hours, I will stab you with this blade." Itachi said and he proceeded to stab Kakashi in the kidney. Kakashi grunted in pain and passed out. When he awoke, he was still attached to the cross. The only difference was that there were three copies of Itachi. "Like I said," Itachi said while stabbing Kakashi again, as did his copies. "I control what happens in this world." Kakashi grunted and again passed out. He awoke again and he was still trapped and more copies were surrounding him. "Don't worry Kakashi, only seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes to go." Kakashi screamed.

Back in reality, Kakashi dropped to his knees. He was still conscious but barely. Itachi was breathing a little hard as well and showed a little surprise that Kakashi was still standing. Kisame joined Itachi while Asuma and Kurenai arrived to help Kakashi.

"What happened Kakashi?! A few seconds ago, you were just standing there and then you hit the water!" Asuma exclaimed.

"I'm surprised that his mind isn't mush right now. You should know that you can't use that technique for long periods." Kisame said. Kakashi was breathing hard but he had to know why they were here.

"So, you aren't here for Sasuke? What are you after?" Kakashi asked.

"The Fourth Hokage's Legacy." Itachi stated. Asuma and Kurenai were surprised by that statement.

"So, you're a part of the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked. It was now Itachi and Kisame to be surprised.

"Akatsuki? What is that?" Kurenai asked.

"You're after Naruto for the Nine-tails that is sealed within him. I… won't… allow… you…" Kakashi finally gave out and was unconscious.

"Kisame, we are taking Kakashi with us. Take the others out." Itachi ordered. Kisame smirked and charged at the ground with a bloodthirsty grin.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" a voice shouted and Kisame was sent flying back to Itachi. The water died down and Gai was revealed. He looked back to see that Kakashi was down. Kisame looked Gai.

"Well now, who are you?" Kisame asked.

"I am Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey, Maito Gai." Gai introduced.

"Green Beast of Prey huh? This is getting good." Kisame said with a grin.

"That's enough Kisame. We are at a disadvantage. I can assume that the ANBU is on the way. We will retreat for now." Itachi said. Kisame scoffed but complied with him. The two vanished and the jōnin let loose a sigh of relief.

**_XXX_**

Jiraiya watched as Naruto did the seals for Transparency Jutsu he created. He watched as he disappeared and was doing a good job of keeping it up. He had just helped him with his Air Blade Jutsu, which impressed him. It was now battle ready and Naruto could cause some damage if he used it. Naruto impressed him greatly. He had gotten the full story from Kakashi and he could see a lot of Fourth Hokage within Naruto. Minato Namikaze was a born genius but he strived to get better and stronger. Naruto did the same and he was sure that by the time they get back he would be a chūnin.

Naruto disabled the jutsu and looked at Jiraiya.

"How was that?" Naruto asked.

"Not bad kid. A little more practice and you can actually pull it off." Jiraiya said with a smile. Naruto grinned and rubbed the bottom of his nose. "Come on kid, let's get to the next town and take a little break."

"Hai!"

**_XXX_**

Sasuke finally found where Kakashi was. He walked to his apartment with a purpose and he would not be deterred from his goal. He was going to get to the bottom of Kakashi decision to get him removed from duty. He didn't deserve it and he was going to get the decision changed. He banged on the door to his apartment and waited. The person who opened the door was not someone he expected.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked Asuma. He looked in the apartment and saw several other jōnin and a figure on the bed. It looked like Kakashi but he couldn't be sure. Suddenly, another jōnin appeared and was out of breath.

"Hey, did I just hear that Itachi was in the village and he was after Naruto?" the man shouted. Some of the jōnin looked at him like he was stupid. Sasuke's eyes widen before he took off. Asuma couldn't grab him in time. Sasuke began searching the village for Naruto. He got word from his favorite spot to eat that he went on a mission with Jiraiya. Sasuke quickly made his way out of the village in order to catch up with the two of them.

As he ran, things ran through his mind. One of them was that Naruto was still going on missions. Why was he allowed to go on missions while he was removed from duty? Another thing was that Itachi was back and he didn't even bother to come after him. He was after Naruto. What the hell made Naruto so damn special? He was the one who his brother tasked with killing him so why was he so concerned with Naruto? He just didn't understand it and it made him very angry that he was being ignored. That anger made him tap into the power of the curse mark and it gave him a boost of speed.

**_XXX_**

Naruto sighed as he sat in the room that Jiraiya rented. The man would have been with him if it was for that girl who was actually wanted to be with him. She must have been crazy or something. Either way, the man told him to go to the room while he got to know the girl better. He just sighed and looked over the techniques that he had learned. He was surprised at the amount of techniques that he had known so far. It meant that he was getting better as a ninja.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Naruto thought that it was Jiraiya. He figured that the girl must have come to her senses. He stood up and opened the door. When he did, he was surprised to see Sasuke but he quickly saw that it was not Sasuke as the person was taller than him. But he instantly recognized the Sharingan, so who was this guy? That's when he remembered the person that Sasuke wanted to kill. It was his brother, the killer of the Uchiha clan. Why was he here?

Itachi looked at him and saw the look of recognition on his face.

"So, you know who I am? I would like for you to come with me Naruto-kun. I will ask you not to make a scene." Itachi said. Naruto just looked at him and then at the guy who just came into his vision. Naruto took a deep breath and closed the door, locking it. When that was done, Naruto bolted out of the window and used his chakra to run down the side of the building. He only got three steps before he was confronted again by Itachi. He heard a loud noise and saw that the door he locked, fly out of the window. That's when the other guy came out and was blocking off any avenue of escape.

"Heh, nice try kid but we need you to come with us. If you aren't going to come willingly, I'll just have to shave off your legs." Kisame said with a grin. Naruto gulped and was quickly trying to find a way out of this.

"ITACHI!" a voice roared. Everyone turned to see Sasuke. Naruto looked at Sasuke with surprise and confusion. Surprised that Sasuke was here and confused about the markings on his face. Kisame noticed the similarities between the two.

"Hey Itachi, that kid looks a lot like you." Kisame said.

"He's my little brother." Itachi answered.

"Little brother huh? I thought that you killed all your relatives?" Kisame asked.

"I've done what you asked Itachi. I hated you and I allowed it to grow. It has grown and festered. Now, I will show you, THE POWER OF MY HATRED!" Sasuke roared. He activated the Chidori without hand seals and rushed at Itachi with the look of murder in his eyes.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_** – I know, it's short. It'll be longer in future chapters but I can't be held to that if this is where it is supposed to end.


	19. Chapter 19

Naruto looked on as Sasuke charged at Itachi. He looked to see that Itachi looked pretty calm about his attack and was worried. He channeled his chakra in order to fire an attack at Itachi's back. As he gathered it, it was suddenly taken away from him. Confused, he turned to the dark chuckle of Kisame.

"That's a bad boy, trying to attack my teammate from behind. Let's leave him to deal with his little brother. If you want a fight, then fight me." Kisame said with a grin.

"Restrain yourself Kisame. We need him in tack." Itachi said.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Sasuke roared as he was in Itachi's face. Itachi calmly caught his wrist and moved it into the side of the building, creating an explosion. People who were curious before were running away now as debris fell from the building. When the smoke cleared, Itachi was holding Sasuke's lightning covered hand with little concern. He put a lot of pressure on the wrist, forcing Sasuke to release the technique. He then back handed him to the street below and followed him. Naruto made a move to help but Kisame moved to stop him.

Sasuke stood to his feet and faced his elder brother. He glared at him with hate while Itachi just looked at him calmly. With a shout, Sasuke charged at Itachi and engaged him in taijutsu. Itachi blocked his attacks with ease and didn't look like that he was trying. This frustrated Sasuke who kept trying to press his attacks. Having enough, Itachi connected with his foot to his chest. Sasuke gasped as he sent into a fruit stand. He struggled to stand and looked up to see that Itachi was on him. He was punched down and then kicked up by the elder Uchiha. Itachi drove his fist into Sasuke's gut and slammed him into a wall.

Meanwhile, Naruto was using his Illusion Dance to annoy Kisame. The blue skinned man was very annoyed as the boy would not stay still. What annoyed him more were the tears in his robe. He didn't know what the blond was doing but it was starting to get annoying. He suddenly got tired of this and got very low. With a strong spin, he used the Samehada to sweep around him. The sword passed through the images of Naruto before landing against something solid. Naruto cried out as he was sent into some crates, where he disappeared in a puff smoke. Kisame was surprised by that and wondered how that happened when the ground suddenly ate him up. Naruto came out of his hiding stop and made his way over to Sasuke.

Itachi back handed Sasuke again and was making his way to him when he was forced to back away when he felt the air shift. Naruto used that time to grab Sasuke and disappear with a Shunshin. Itachi looked at the wall and was a little interested in the gash that was in the stone. That's when Kisame popped out of the ground right next Itachi.

"That little brat is much better than I thought." Kisame said.

"Yes, he is. I'm quite interested in the technique that made this." Itachi said, looking at wall. He them searched the area.

"Do you think he's gotten far?" Kisame asked.

"Not with my brother. He's close and his location will be revealed in a moment." Itachi said. He was on the money as Naruto was struggling to hold Sasuke down while trying to keep up his newly learned technique, the Transparency Jutsu. He tried to calm Sasuke down but the guy kept struggling to get free. It was getting hard as Sasuke kept leaking some foul chakra. He noticed some black marks move across his arm and up his neck. He didn't know what that thing was but it was giving him off some serious chakra. It was finally too much as Sasuke freed himself from Naruto, sending the blond flying with the expelled chakra. Itachi instantly recognized Orochimaru's mark but did not looked worried.

"**ITACHI!**" Sasuke said and activated the Chidori without hand seals. With new found speed, Sasuke crossed the distance in a moment. He threw the jutsu forward and it looked like that he would succeed in connecting. He suddenly felt pain coming from his chest. He looked down to see Itachi's knee. The Chidori fizzled out and the curse mark began to recede. He was then driven down to the ground with an elbow. He hit the ground with some force and spit out some blood. Itachi turned him over with his foot and stepped on his chest. He looked at Sasuke with uncaring eyes.

"What have you been doing Sasuke? You say that you've done what I've asked. You say that you have allowed your hate to grow. So why are you still so weak? Perhaps you need another remainder." Itachi's Sharingan began to change and Sasuke began to struggle to get free. He then closed eyes but were forced to open them when Itachi stepped on his chest. He opened them to stare into the red eye with a three blade shuriken for iris. "Tsukuyomi."

Naruto shook out the cobwebs after being thrown by the backlash of Sasuke's release of chakra. He stood and made his way to see if the idiot was okay. What he saw was a screaming Sasuke under Itachi's foot. This caused Naruto to call up the Nine-Tails chakra and looked ready to charge at them to save Sasuke. He was stopped by the arrival of two men. One was Jiraiya and the other was Gai.

"Stand down Naruto; you cannot win against these un-youthful men. I, Maito Gai, will keep you save." Gai said while slipping in his stance. Jiraiya looked at two with a glare.

"So, the Akatsuki has begun to move? It is a little sooner than I thought." Jiraiya said.

"So it is you that Kakashi learn that name from? I shouldn't be so surprised." Itachi said. He turned to Kisame. "We're leaving. I am not confident that we would survive against the two of them."

"Fine, spoil all my fun." Kisame said. He then turned to Naruto. "Hey kid, keep getting better. I'll be looking forward to our next meeting." The two then vanished from the area. Gai wanted to go after them but he was stopped by Jiraiya. The three made their way over to the now unconscious Sasuke.

"Stupid bastard, I tried to get us away but he kept fighting me to get to Itachi." Naruto said.

"It isn't your fault Naruto. You did well and I am proud at your decision making. Either way, we have to continue our mission. Gai, I'll leave the Uchiha to you." Jiraiya said. Gai nodded while the other two went to deal with the town.

**_XXX_**

As the two traveled, Jiraiya noticed the silence of Naruto. He looked back to see that the blond was in deep thought. He figured that he was thinking about the reason why Itachi and Kisame were after him. He realized that this was not the same kid that sensei usually gave him reports on.

"Okay Naruto, what's on your mind?" Jiraiya asked.

"Say what?" Naruto said.

"I'm asking you what's on your mind. If you have questions, and then ask them and I will answer them as best as I can." Jiraiya said. Naruto was quiet for a few moments before speaking.

"Those guys, they're after the fox right? They're not after me specifically?" Naruto asked.

"Good, you are a lot better than I heard. Yes, they are after the fox in your gut. They are called the Akatsuki and there are nine of them, including Itachi and Kisame, all as skilled as Itachi and Kisame." Jiraiya explained. He saw the concerned looked on his face and patted his head. "Don't sweat it kid. You are getting strong every day. You're performance against Neji was amazing and I wouldn't be surprised if you are promoted when we get back. Not only that, you think outside the box and never give up. You, my boy, will grow into a very powerful ninja and I'm going to help you along the way." This made Naruto grin and made him forget his worries.

"Alright Pervy Sage, I put my fate in your hands!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You're never going to stop calling me that huh?" Jiraiya said. Naruto just continued grinning. Jiraiya just sighed before giving his attention. "Okay brat, I was going to wait until we got to the next town but I guess I can explain what I'm going to teach you."

"Is it a powerful jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"One of the strongest and it belonged to one of the strongest shinobi in the Leaf." Jiraiya said.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked.

"The Fourth Hokage."

**_XXX_**

Naruto was taking a break and ate his lunch. He was really excited as he was going to learn a jutsu from his hero, the Fourth Hokage. He just couldn't wait until he saw this Rasengan jutsu but the perv was being stingy. He just kept wondering what the jutsu could be when he felt a familiar tug in his mind.

_"What do you want?"_ Naruto asked the fox.

_"__**We need to talk about what that group is after you. As you are now, you will not be able to protect me.**__"_ The nine-tails said.

_"Oh, thank you for the vote of confidence."_ Naruto said sarcastically.

_"__**I'm only stating the facts boy. As a percussion of this group, I believe that you must get a handle on using my chakra, enough for you to use one-tail worth of my power.**__"_ The fox explained.

_"Are you nuts?! If I begin using your chakra it's going to cause a big stink with the village!"_ Naruto exclaimed.

_"__**Then talk to the perverted moron. He was attempting to get you to use my chakra in the first place. Maybe it was because of this group. Perhaps he could set you up with an area that we can use so I can monitor your progress.**__" _ The fox said. Naruto calmed down and began to think about it and had to admit that the fox had a good idea.

_"Okay, I'll run pass the Pervy Sage. Just remember that this is a give and take relationship."_

_"__**Yeah, yeah, just get it done.**__" _The fox ended the link and Naruto wanted to go back in and insult the fox. He forgot about the crabby fox and decided to talk to Jiraiya.

**_XXX_**

Ino was humming a tune as she worked on the flowers in the store. She was having a pleasant day as it was her day off from training. She needed it as she was pretty sore from everything that she was doing. So far, she had improved her taijutsu and her clan jutsu. She had learned another jutsu called the Mind Destruction Jutsu. It was fun to use as she used it on Chōji and made him attack Shikamaru. She felt bad about it later and brought Chōji something to eat but she would keep it in mind if Shikamaru had any more smart ass comments for her.

While she felt that she was getting stronger, she wanted to learn more. She began to look into Kekkai Ninjutsu and how to use a short sword. She was also looking into this taijutsu that looked like it was a lot of fun. It had a lot of movement in it and some sweet looking moves. She thought that it would be a perfect addition to her taijutsu. She couldn't wait to get started.

Suddenly, she heard her mother's voice and it wasn't a happy tone. She wondered who her mother could be angry with. She made her way to the front and saw her mother glaring at Sakura. She wondered why Sakura was here in the first place but she was more concerned about her mother as she never showed any type of anger. She decided to get to the bottom of this.

"Is there anything I can help you with Sakura?" Ino asked. It got the attention of the two. Ino's mom looked ready to say something but was stopped by Ino. She gave her a nod and the older woman moved out of the way. The two former friends faced each other. "I said, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, there is. I would like to speak to you in private." Sakura said.

"Right, I'm just going to go with you. You're not exactly the most trusting person I know." Ino said.

"Look, I just want to clear any bad blood between us. If it makes you feel any better, we can do this here." Sakura said. Ino weight her options and realized that she would have the safety of her clan behind her. Knowing her mother, she would probably have some of her cousins' watch.

"Fine, after you," Ino said and stepped aside. Sakura walked in and made her way into the house. Ino took off her apron and followed. She could only hope that Sakura wanted to clear the bad blood but she was ready if she tried anything.

**_XXXXX_**


	20. Chapter 20

Ino led Sakura to an open area of where many of the plants were grown. She looked around and noticed that one of her cousins was watching from the roof. She figured that her mother would have sent word to members of her family just to make sure that she would be alright. While she was glad for it, she wasn't too worried because of the small improvement she made in her skills. Still, she was appreciative of the back-up. She turned to Sakura and looked at Sakura with a neutral expression.

"Okay Sakura, what did you really come here for?" Ino asked.

"What are you talking about Ino? You know why I'm here." Sakura answered.

"Please, you forget that I'm the daughter of one of Konoha's top interrogators. You really think that I believe that bull you told my mother about clearing any 'bad blood' between us? I'm not going to change my opinion on what you and Sasuke did to Naruto." Ino said.

"And why not?!" Sakura exclaimed. "Why in the hell are you defending the dead-last anyway?! Don't tell me that you're attracted to him?!"

"Are you really the smartest girl from our class or are you really that dumb? Of course I'm not attracted to Naruto but that doesn't excuse you two from what you did. What if Orochimaru had killed him? Could you have lived with yourself knowing that?" Ino asked. Sakura didn't look comfortable with the question and refused to answer her. Ino just scoffed at her and shook her head. "Look, you asked for your _apology_ and I refused. If there's nothing else, I need to get back to work."

"We're not done Yamanaka! I'm not leaving here without an apology and if I have to do it by force, I will!" Sakura spat. That proved to be a mistake as Sakura was suddenly held by two members of the Yamanaka clan. Sakura looked surprised but Ino just smirked.

"I don't think that will happen. Before you go, I have one thing to tell you." Ino said as she moved close to Sakura. "You call Naruto the dead-last but he's beaten everyone that Sasuke couldn't hope to beat. Maybe it's time you should start taking your training serious because by how I see things, you're the real _dead-last_." That made Sakura very angry and she started to struggle to get to Ino. She was forced out of the area and out of the shop. She looked ready to go back in but the stern looks for Ino's cousins and Ino's mother, made her think twice. She scoffed and stomped off to her home.

Sakura couldn't believe the things that Ino had to say to her. Ino made her sound like some type of heartless bitch. It wasn't her fault that Naruto was trying to show off. How was she supposed to know about that kunoichi being one of the Sannin? Then she had the nerve to tell her to her face that she was the dead-last. That was just insulting. She was the 'Top Kunoichi' of their year and she believed that her skills showed that. She wasn't as weak as Naruto not matter what Ino or Kakashi thought.

Sakura would not take that insult lying down. She would make Ino pay for her comments and show her who the best was.

**_XXX_**

Naruto and Jiraiya were continuing their search for Tsunade. During that time, Naruto was working on mastering his new jutsu, the Rasengan. When the two stopped at a fair a few days ago, Jiraiya began to teach the jutsu. Jiraiya explained to him that there were three steps to learning this technique. The first step had been to burst a balloon filled with water. Jiraiya explained that he needed to move the water around enough to burst the balloon. Naruto was able to make the water move around but he couldn't burst it. That's when he saw a cat burst the balloon when he played with it. It made him remembered how the water moved when Jiraiya showed it to him. He couldn't make the water move around like Jiraiya did but with the use of his hand, he was able to burst the balloon. It was a victory to him and Jiraiya agreed.

The next step was to blow apart a rubber ball. That proved to be much more difficult for Naruto would could rotate the chakra but not burst the rubber ball. That's when he realized that this was about power rather than rotation. A suggestion from the fox, gave Naruto a way to blow the rubber ball to pieces. Jiraiya was surprised at how quickly he did it and asked him how. Naruto explained that pushed his chakra into the ball until the ball could no longer expand. He then began to rotate the chakra with his other hand, spinning the dense chakra until the ball burst. Jiraiya was impressed until Naruto mention that it was the fox's idea.

Now, he was working on the final step, which combined rotation and power into a sphere. This would prove to be very hard as Jiraiya kept them on the move. When they did stop, Naruto would actually get it but it would blow up in his face after a few seconds even with both of his hands. Still, Naruto was eager to get this jutsu down as he could use it within his arsenal. While this was a cool jutsu, he did not just focus on it as he worked on all his other skills and the Nine-tails' chakra. Lucky for Naruto, Jiraiya had actually agreed with the fox and relinquished teaching to the demon in concerns of mastering his chakra. He even had a place Naruto could use so that he could train with it.

Despite all the training, the two had a job to do. Jiraiya finally found where Tsunade was. She was in a place called Tanzaku town. They quickly made their way there. When they arrived, they witnessed a gigantic castle get destroyed. Jiraiya was suspicious as he knew only some like a summon could do that. He didn't think that Tsunade would do something like that even to escape her debt collector, so it would mean that Orochimaru was here. The two checked the scene and his thoughts were confirmed. He had to find Tsunade and find out what their teammate wanted.

They search for a while before finding Tsunade in a bar. They walked over to the slightly drunk woman and took a seat at their booth. Tsunade looked at who had just invited themselves and was surprised to see Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya? What the hell are you doing here?" Tsunade asked.

"Hey there princess, long time, no see." Jiraiya said with a grin. He then turns to a young black haired woman who was holding a pig. "Shizune, you have certainly grown to be a beautiful woman."

"It seems that I'm having reunions all over the town today." Tsunade sighed.

"Is that so? You care to share who you met earlier?" Jiraiya asked.

"Why are you here Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked with an edge. Jiraiya stopped grinning and faced her with a serious expression.

"Very well, my apprentice and I are here to find you and bring you back to Konoha to become the new Hokage." Jiraiya said.

"Wait a minute, that's what this mission was about? You should have told me that, you stupid pervert! I would have moved faster if it was that important!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Heh, I like the kid. Still, you're wasting your time Jiraiya. Being Hokage is a job for fools and idiots. I have no wish to die like a fool." Tsunade said with a drunken slur. Naruto suddenly turned his glare to her.

"So, let me get this straight. Are you calling old man Sandaime a fool just because he put the village's well-fare ahead of himself?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, so?" Tsunade said. Her slurred answer pissed both of the males off.

"We're seriously not going to let this washout drunk be Hokage right?" Naruto asked Jiraiya.

"She's the only choice we have. She is the granddaughter and grandniece of the Shodaime and Nidaime." Jiraiya explained.

"Just because she's family of two of the greatest Hokages of Konoha, doesn't mean that she's just like them. She's nothing like them because they were strong and she's nothing but an old hag who hides behind a genjutsu." Naruto said.

"What was that kid? Do you know who you're insulting? I am one of the Sannin boy." Tsunade growled.

"You heard me, you old bitch!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Tsunade looked at him with murder in his eyes. Naruto wasn't afraid and got right in her face. "I don't care what the pervert says; I'll never allow a coward like you take that hat!"

"Coward… you little shit! Who the hell do you think you are to judge me like that! You don't know me or what I have lost!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"Oh, cry me a river. You sound just like that pansy Sasuke. Why don't you suck it up and get over it hag!" Naruto shouted. Jiraiya winced when he heard that as did Shizune. Tsunade was white with rage and looked ready to murder someone.

"Outside brat, _now!_" Tsunade commanded. Naruto scoffed at her and left the bar with Tsunade in tow. Jiraiya only sighed and made his way outside to each stop Tsunade from killing Naruto or stop Naruto from getting himself killed.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade looked at Naruto who was stretching his muscles and preparing to do battle. Tsunade, who was still a little drunk, scoffed at the boy.

"I can't believe that I allowed the words of a child get me this angry. Tell you what brat; I'll let you leave with some dignity if you just apologize for what you said." Tsunade said. Naruto blew a raspberry at her and got into a fighting stance. Tsunade looked at him with a chuckle. "Fine, I'll humor you. One finger, that's all I'll need to take you out."

"I wouldn't do that Tsunade. You better take this boy seriously or you're going to regret it." Jiraiya said.

"Yeah right, he won't even land a blow on me." She mocked. That's when she was struck in the cheek by Naruto's fist. Tsunade was a little shocked but was able to regain her bearings and blow the kick that Naruto threw. Naruto jumped back and did some hand seals.

"Water Style: Ripping Torrent!" Naruto said and shot a ball of water at her. Tsunade made a fist and punched the jutsu into water. Naruto used the Teleportation technique to get close to Tsunade and reared his fist back. Tsunade narrowed her eyes and finger flicked Naruto away. Naruto bounced twice before dispelling into smoke. Tsunade was surprised until she was dragged into the ground until her head was the only thing showing. Shizune was surprised while Jiraiya was laughing his ass off. Naruto appeared next to her with a grin on his face.

"Tell you what hag; I'll let you leave with some dignity if you just apologize for what you said." Naruto mocked. Tsunade growled and quickly burst out of the ground and raised her leg in one move. Naruto quickly got out of the way when she brought her kick down onto the ground. Naruto was shocked when it created a crater and raised a part of the ground. Tsunade appeared in front of him and shot her fist forward. Naruto activated his Illusion Dance and Tsunade's fist went right through him. She growled and threw a back fist that nearly took his head off. As Naruto backed off and Tsunade charged, Naruto flipped back and launched an Air Blade at her. It cut into Tsunade's shoulder and made her bleed. Tsunade saw this and was her eyes went wide with fear.

Naruto landed and pushed off to use a flying knee but he was stopped by Jiraiya. Naruto jumped back and glared at him.

"What the hell Pervy Sage?!" Naruto cursed.

"Look at her Naruto," Jiraiya said. Naruto did and was surprised at what he saw. Tsunade was trembling and hugging herself. Naruto was surprised as he looked into her eyes and saw fear. Shizune came and placed her jacket on her and wiped the little blood off her.

"What… what's wrong with her?" Naruto asked with worrying.

"You don't need to worry about it Naruto." Jiraiya said. He made his way over to Tsunade and took her from Shizune. "Hey Shizune, can you watch my charge for a little while? I'll make sure that Tsunade is okay. Don't worry, I'll be good."

"That's a first." Naruto commented, which earned him a smack in the head. Jiraiya took Tsunade away while the apprentices got to know one another.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade took another gulp of sake before Jiraiya filled her saucer. Tsunade just glared at him while he held his smirk.

"Keep smirking you pervert. It'll just give me a reason to knock you out." Tsunade growled.

"I did warn you not to underestimate the boy. Maybe if you were a little more sober, you would have realized how good he is." Jiraiya said with amusement.

"Just who is that brat anyway?" Tsunade asked.

"Like I said, he's my new apprentice. His name is Uzumaki Naruto and he might be promoted when we complete this mission." Jiraiya said.

"Well, you're going back in failure because I'm not going to be Hokage." Tsunade said.

"Let's not talk about that now. How about you tell me what you and Orochimaru talked about before I found you?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade narrowed her eyes but remained silent about it. Jiraiya just sighed at placed some money on the counter. Before he stood up, he gave Tsunade a serious expression.

"The reason that Naruto was angry was because he loved Sarutobi and he wanted to be the Hokage just like him. I don't know what you and Orochimaru talked about but I would think very hard about what you're answer will be." That's when Jiraiya hit her with some killing intent that made Tsunade look at him with surprise and fear. "Because if you chose wrong Tsunade, I will kill you." He said and stood up. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's retreating form before turning back to her drink. After a few seconds, she left, no longer feeling to drinking.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade walked around town trying to clear her head. That's when she heard a shout and wondered what that was. She made her way to the sounds and saw Naruto again. She watched as the brat was concentrating and noticed what he was doing. She couldn't believe that Jiraiya would be so careless to teach such a brat that jutsu. He wasn't even close to mastering it. Her scoff caught Naruto's attention, which made him lose his focus and have the jutsu blow up in his face. Naruto groaned while Tsunade was laughing at him.

"Oh, that's just poetic justice." Tsunade laughed. "Kami, I needed that." Naruto just ignored her and went back to his training. Tsunade just continued to watch as he continued to work on the jutsu. After another failure, Tsunade just shook her head. "Just give it up brat; you'll never get this jutsu down. Jiraiya was a fool for teaching it to you."

"Well I'm glad he's a cool fool rather than a cold-hearted hag. Now, if you've got nothing but insults to say, why don't you kick rocks and let a true ninja train in peace." Naruto spat. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the hag part but she didn't do anything to him.

"True ninja huh? How about you prove it with a little wager?" Tsunade asked. Naruto looked at her with confusion.

"What kind of wager?" Naruto asked. Tsunade just smirked at him.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: I apologize to all my reviewers. I've been so busy at the beginning of the year with my class that all my stories have taken a back seat. Lucky for me, I've gotten this free time to do something. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

Shizune was franticly searching for Naruto. It had been six days since meeting the blond and she had gotten attached to the happy blond. While she could do without his insults to her master, he won her over with his charm. The reason why she was looking for the blond was that she found out about the bet that he and Tsunade made. She couldn't believe that her master could be so irresponsible and told her as such. She had to find Naruto and convince him to drop this bet. She knew about the Rasengan and there was no way that he would complete in the time frame that was made.

As she searched, she heard a loud boom and saw some smoke coming from a distance. She made her way over to the area and was shocked at what she saw. The area was littered with little holes and a tree had so many dents in it that it would soon fall over. She observed the holes and noticed that it looked like that something grinded into it. She looked around some more and found Naruto. She was shocked at what she saw. He was leaning against what use to be a huge boulder. She could see pieces of the boulders scattered around the blond. She walked up to him and checked him over.

She saw that he was suffering from chakra exhaustion and had some chakra burns. She carefully placed him on her back and looked to take him back to hers and Tsunade's hotel room. As she began to leave she heard him mumble something. She listened carefully to what he was saying.

"Take that… old hag… I won… necklace mine… old hag…" were the words that she made out. She was a little confused but it sounded that he had succeeded in completing the bet. But that couldn't be true. It took the Fourth Hokage three years to create the move and Jiraiya learned in six months from what she heard. Could this boy really have mastered that jutsu in one week? She put it in the back of her mind and made her way to the hotel room.

**_XXX_**

Naruto's eyes began to open. Everything was still kind of fuzzy so he blinked his eyes to focus. After a few minutes, his vision had adjusted and he was able to see clearly. He sat up and looked around. He immediately saw that he was not in the hotel room that he and Jiraiya were staying in. He scratched his head and wondered where he was. That's when he noticed a body on the ground. He quickly got off the bed and checked the person on the ground. He turned the person onto their back and was surprised to see that it was the hag's apprentice. He wondered why she was here and why she was on the ground. He then began to try and wake here.

Shizune began to stir and open her eyes. When she woke up, she could see Naruto's face, looking at her with concern.

"Naruto?" she whispered. She began to wonder what was going on when it hit her like ton of bricks. "Tsunade-sama!" she called out and sat up quickly. However, she was too quick and smashed her head to Naruto's. The two apprentices were holding their heads in pain.

"What the hell?" Naruto growled.

"I'm sorry Naruto but we have to hurry. Tsunade is about to make a very huge mistake." Shizune said.

"Is that so?" a voice said. They turned to see Jiraiya. The old man did not look good. "Perhaps you can tell me what she's about to do."

**_XXX_**

Naruto kept shaking his head as the three humans and one pot-belly pig were searching for Tsunade.

"I can't believe you. Can you be any more pathetic? How are you the village's spymaster if you can't even notice that someone drugged your drink?" Naruto asked.

"Hey, Tsunade is one of the best medics in the world! She could have made something that not even I could detect! Now shut up and let Shizune talk!" Jiraiya said and faced Shizune. "Now talk, what did Orochimaru offer that would make Tsunade ever consider helping him?"

"Orochimaru promised to bring Uncle Dan and her brother Nawaki back from the dead if she healed his arms." Shizune said.

"Damn it, he's planning on using that technique. Tsunade is not going to get her wish. Orochimaru is going to kill her as soon as she heals his arms. We have to hurry." Jiraiya said. The four sped up to find the blond Sannin.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade was in fright as she looked at the red liquid that was all over her. She dropped to her knees and was shivering. Kabuto just looked at her with a smirk before popping in a blood pill. He should have done this earlier and they would have been gone by now. Now that the fight was in his favor, he was about to knock her out. Tsunade was still in shock as the blood was still on her. She was in complete control until this happened.

After she refused to help Orochimaru, she attacked him and Kabuto to end their lives. They moved the fight out into the fields. They were fighting on even ground for a while before Kabuto decided to get serious. He popped into his mouth a chakra pill and he did hand seals to activate his Chakra Scalpels. He vanished and attacked Tsunade from below. Tsunade countered but Kabuto was too fast. He then touched her arm and legs, cutting her tendons and reducing her strength. She was able to push him away and get some distance but Kabuto was not to be denied.

He then cut some muscles in her chest, causing her to take very deep breaths. Kabuto began to boast about his skills and paid for it. In two quick bursts, Tsunade disrupted Kabuto's functions with the Nervous System Rupture technique and then sent him flying few feet. As she healed herself, Kabuto managed to heal himself from her attack, which surprised her. She quickly got over her surprise as Kabuto came at her with a kunai. She grabbed his wrist and gave him a harsh glare. That's when she showed Kabuto how skilled she was.

Kabuto was bombarded with punches and kicks that sent him skidding against the ground. She took to the air and was about to end the fight but Kabuto used his speed to escape. He then cut into a vein on his arm and sprayed her with a torrent of blood. She immediately shut down and was now at Kabuto's mercy. The young medic looked at her.

"To think that you are the standard that we thrive to reach, I can't believe that you're this pathetic. Oh well, time for you to go to sleep." Kabuto said. That's when a smoke bomb hit the ground. Within the smoke, Kabuto was attacked and sent flying back. He quickly flipped in mid-air and landed on his feet. He felt something running down his cheek and noticed that it was his blood. When the smoke cleared, he saw Jiraiya, Naruto and Shizune standing there. Orochimaru appeared next to him and looked at his other teammate.

"So, you are seeking Tsunade as well? I should have figured that you would choose her for your next Hokage. However, she has something to do before you can try to convince her." Orochimaru said. Naruto looked at Kabuto and narrowed his eyes.

"So you betrayed the Leaf?" Naruto demanded.

"Oh Naruto, I was never loyal to the Leaf." Kabuto said. Naruto looked like he wanted to belt this guy but he controlled himself. Orochimaru looked at Naruto with some praise. He turned his attention back to Kabuto and held out his arm. Kabuto nodded and drew some blood onto a snake-looking tattoo. Kabuto did some seals and placed his hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Kabuto called out. A large puff of smoke later and two large snakes appeared. They hissed at the group. Jiraiya quickly did the same seals and placed his hand on the ground as well.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he called out. When the smoke cleared, he was surprised to see that he summoned Gamakichi. He was a little embarrassed and Orochimaru laughed at him. He ushered the snakes forward and Jiraiya cursed.

"Summoning Jutsu!" a voice shouted. The snakes hit something hard and were pushed back. When the smoke cleared, they saw a large sake saucer type shield. Behind it, a magenta colored toad stood. He had black markings on its face arms and legs. He also had horn like protrusions on its head. He was wearing a black kimono with a white sash and mesh armor. He had a spear type weapon in his other hand. On his head was Naruto. The blond looked at the toad and had a disappointed look on his face.

"Who are you? I was trying to summon the Boss Toad." Naruto said.

"**I could ask you the same question.**" The toad said.

"**Uncle Gamaken!**" the toad looked to the left to see Jiraiya and Gamakichi.

"It's good to see you master Gamaken." Jiraiya said. He then looked at Naruto. "Nice work Naruto, you summoned a very strong toad."

"**Oh, so this is Naruto. Gamakichi, Gamatatsu talk about you a lot.**" He then looked ahead of him. "**So, we are fighting Orochimaru and his summons. I will do what I can but I am not so graceful.**"

"It's okay, we will do find." Jiraiya said before turned to Naruto. "I need you to protect Tsunade and help Shizune. My guess is that Kabuto will be sent to get her. Assist Shizune and do your best to hold him off."

"I'm on it." Naruto said. He took Gamakichi and made his way over to the two women. Orochimaru looked at the blond as well. He made a motion to Kabuto. He nodded and went after him. He then turned his attention back to Jiraiya. Orochimaru looked at him and gave him a serious expression.

"That boy, I see that you have taken him on as a student. I will admit that the boy does have some skill in the arts but he does not have the natural talent like Sasuke. He will grow but it will not amount to much in this world. But I see why you took him on. He is just like you." Orochimaru mocked.

"Natural talent is overrated. If you recall, you said the same thing about Minato. Didn't he become Hokage?" Jiraiya asked with a smile. Orochimaru frowned at the jab. "Either way, you underestimate the boy. You may think that he won't amount to nothing but I can see that he will grow stronger than ever. Hell, if he continues this path, he may even surpass me and the Fourth Hokage. Just wait, he's going to show you just how good he can get."

"So we have a difference of opinion then? No matter, let's just get this show on the road." Orochimaru said.

"Why not?" Jiraiya said with a grin. Gamaken got ready to fight as the two snakes hissed.

**_XXX_**

Naruto stood in front of Tsunade who was still out of it. He didn't know what was wrong with her but he had to protect her like Jiraiya said. He faced Kabuto as Shizune helped Tsunade out. When she was finished, she stood beside Naruto. Kabuto looked at the two with a small smirk that annoyed the hell out of the blond.

"Something funny?" Naruto asked.

"I'm just amused at what you're planning to do. I'll admit that you are skilled Naruto but you are at low chūnin level at best. I am at the same level as your sensei. Even with your partner, I will not have much trouble in taking you out." Kabuto said. It was now Naruto's turn to smirk. In a flash, Kabuto was struck in the back of the knee, forcing him to the ground. He was then hit again by a powerful kick to his chest. He rolled away and looked at the blond with shock and confusion. That's when the air shimmered around him and revealed several clones that surrounded him. He was confused as he did not see Naruto make any seals.

"Confused? You shouldn't be thinking about the beating that I'm about to give you. You can talk all you want about being at the same level as Kakashi-sensei but you ran from him didn't ya?" Naruto asked with a smirk. Kabuto gave Naruto a frown. "Don't underestimate me traitor or else you're going to end up just like the others." Kabuto fixed his glasses and stood up. His smirk returned and he faced the group.

"We'll just have to see if you stack up to the hype Naruto." Kabuto said and got ready to fight. Shizune, Naruto and his clones were prepared as well.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Well, the battle is about to begin. Enjoy the new chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

Kabuto looked at the clones and the two shinobi that were ready to fight him. He pushed his glasses up and looked at his situation. He did not expect Naruto to have made clones before he arrived. He didn't know how he was able to hide them in plain sight but he would figure that out later. He checked himself and felt that he was at least eighty percent back to normal. He looked at the group and readied himself. Feeling his chakra spike, Naruto turned to Shizune.

"What can you tell me about this guy Shizune?" Naruto asked.

"He's a combat medic-nin and a very skilled one. He probably has the same skills as I and would probably be very hard to hit because of that." Shizune explained.

"Okay then, let's get started." Naruto said. With those words, two of Naruto's clones attacked, whipping their legs. Kabuto dodged the invisible attack but was suddenly attacked by another clone. The clone engaged him when another joined him. Kabuto blocked and dodged the two's attacks. He was then hit from behind by another clone but he dispelled it with a crushing kick. He then activated his Chakra Scalpel and cut the throats of the two that attacked him. He heard the sound of metal flying through the air. He turned and knocked several needles out of the air. He then felt the air rush out of him when he was kneed by Naruto.

Naruto tried to push his advantage but Kabuto recovered a little too quickly. He was forced to dodge his glowing hands. Swaying side to side, Naruto attempted to get into Kabuto's defense. The glasses wearing man saw this and kept Naruto at a distance. Naruto then did a roll and whipped his leg around down low. Kabuto jumped into the air but that was what Naruto wanted. He spun fast and whipped his leg again at an angle, fired an Air Blade. The attack cut Kabuto's cheek and knocked off his forehead protector. Kabuto landed on the ground but as he did, he was dragged into it. Up to his neck, Kabuto watched as Naruto loamed over him, his fist cocked back. He threw it forward and smashed the ground. However, Kabuto's head was not there.

Naruto looked around for the guy when he heard Shizune tell him to duck. He did and dodged a chop from Kabuto. He then kicked Naruto in his side and sent him flying. Naruto managed to flip to his feet and he faced Kabuto. He then summoned some clones and he watched as they ran around to flank him. He did some hand seals and took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto shouted and spat out a medium size fireball. Kabuto saw through his plan and went underground. However, as Kabuto moved through the ground, Naruto activated something with his chakra. An explosion occurred and Kabuto was forced to abandon his position underground. He was swarmed by the clones and was pressured by them. Kabuto did his best but he was getting tagged by the clones. He cursed and was upset that this genin was doing this to him. He was on a level similar to Kakashi and he should not be having such trouble. If Naruto wanted a serious fight, then he would give him serious fight.

Like lightning, Kabuto destroyed Naruto's clones and rushed the blond. Seeing Kabuto coming at him, Naruto slipped into his stance. Kabuto attacked him with a much more serious tempo. Naruto was pushed hard but managed to keep from getting too hurt. Lucky for him, Shizune joined in the fray and helped him. It was a very skilled 2 to 1 battle where Kabuto had to go back to defense with Shizune there. Naruto managed to push Kabuto back a few feet. Shizune did some hand seals and so did Naruto.

"Ninja Art: Poison Fog!" Shizune said and expelled a large purple fog.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!" Naruto shouted and clapped his hands. The jutsu push the poison cloud faster toward Kabuto who was consumed by the purple fog. The two waited for the results of their attack. It happened so fast when two glowing hands came out of the ground and caught Shizune's ankles. She cried out before dropping to the ground. Naruto made a move to help but was sent flying by a kick. He rolled around the ground before he stopped himself. He looked up just in time to see Kabuto knock Shizune out. Naruto cursed and stood to face him. Kabuto faced him with a smirk.

"Well, we are back to it being one-on-one. What are you going to do now Naruto?" Kabuto asked. Naruto didn't say anything but he was trying to come up with a plan. Suddenly something came to him but he realized that he would need some time.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted and fifteen clones appeared. He and his clones charged at Kabuto. Kabuto just smirked at them and met their charge. Again, he took Naruto's clones out with ease and knocked Naruto back a few feet. Kabuto was on him and drove his knee into his stomach. Naruto was on the ground, trying to get some air.

"This is the difference between us Naruto. You may be skilled, I will admit that, but I am above you in every way. You might as well give up or you will never achieve your dream." Kabuto said. That lit a fire in Naruto who launch another air wave. Kabuto dodged and countered with elbow. Naruto hit the ground again. He tried to stand but Kabuto slammed his foot into his chest. Naruto struggled to free himself but it made Kabuto dig his foot in. "Give it up."

"N-No way," Naruto growled. Kabuto sighed at him and pulled out a kunai.

"Very well then, just die like the fool you are." Kabuto said and threw the kunai at Naruto's head. It connected and Naruto's eyes went dark. Kabuto watched with a smirk as the life left Naruto's eyes. His head hit ground and he laid there until his dispelled. Kabuto was surprised until a string of explosions rocked the area. The ground underneath Kabuto began to sink and crumble.

'_What? How did… When did…'_ Kabuto was franticly thinking. As the ground sank, something shot out of the ground.

"Na," Kabuto was struck in the jaw. "ru," Kabuto was again hit on his left, in his chest. "to," he was hit again in the chin. Kabuto looked up to see three clones. They descended on him with kicks. The third clone ended the combo with a front flip axe kick. "Uzumaki Barrage!" Kabuto gasped and was sent to the ground. He hit the ground and bounced a bit. Kabuto struggled to stand but was suddenly restrained by the clones that attacked him. The original stood next to a clone and held his hand out. The clone helped him form the jutsu that he was taught. When it was finished, Naruto used the Body Flicker to close the distance quickly before Kabuto recovered. He drove the spiraling sphere of chakra into his gut.

"_**Rasengan!**_" Naruto roared and dug his jutsu into Kabuto's gut. The man gasped before he was sent flying. Covered in a sphere of chakra, Kabuto was sent through the earth and sent flying out into the air. The sphere faded and Kabuto plummeted to the ground. He hit the ground with some force and laid there. Naruto came out of the hole and was taking a deep breath. He smirked at the damage that he did with this jutsu.

His smirk turned into a frown when Kabuto began to rise. He couldn't believe that he was standing after what he went through. Naruto didn't know if he could keep going if Kabuto was still standing. Kabuto looked at Naruto and smirked at the worried blond.

"I am impressed. Even after I had you dead to rights, you find a way to wriggle out of it. Still, it seems that your strategy has taken a lot out of you. That's too bad for you." Kabuto said.

"How the hell did you get up from that? It shouldn't be possible!" Naruto snarled.

"Oh Naruto, you should know that things are not what they seem. For instance, I gathered my chakra at the point of your attack and healed myself. A worthy try but it wasn't enough." Kabuto said. He took a step forward and looked ready to charge until he suddenly froze up. He dropped to his knees and fell on his face. '_I can't believe it! I suffered that much damaged!'_ he thought viciously. Seeing that Kabuto was struggling to stand, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He made his way over to Tsunade who had a look of disbelief. The blond grinned and held his hand out.

"I believe that you owe me a necklace hag." Naruto said with a grin.

_**XXX**_

Jiraiya and Orochimaru stopped their battle to see the results of the fight. Naruto was bragging to Tsunade and Shizune was slowly making her way over to the two. Kabuto was still out and recovering. Both men had two different reactions to what just happened. Jiraiya was very proud of his apprentice. He didn't really master the Rasengan but it was a very creative way to use the jutsu. It was a way that neither he nor the Yondaime thought of. He just smirked at his victory.

Orochimaru had a frown on his face. He was a little worried about the boy because he knew two techniques that were quite a pain. With this jutsu in his arsenal, the boy was too damn dangerous to live. He cursed himself by not killing him earlier. While his intervention would have brought some major trouble from his former comrades, he could not allow this boy to continue to live. He had to strike now.

He charged down making his way to the group. Jiraiya quickly followed after him, seeing his intent. Orochimaru smirked and launched his tongue at Jiraiya, wrapping around his ankle. He slammed him to the ground and used his momentum to rocket toward Naruto's unguarded back. He spat out the Grass Long Sword and held it with his mouth. His blade entered the body and sprayed some blood. However, it was not the blood that he wanted spilt.

"GRANNY!" Naruto called out. Orochimaru's sword was sticking out of the woman who was grunting in pain. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at her.

"What do you think you're doing Tsunade? Why would you put your life on the life for this boy?" he asked.

"Because… he will be… Konoha's future." Tsunade struggled to say.

"That's what you think. He's not leaving this place alive. He is a threat and I will eliminate him right now." Orochimaru said. He pulled the blade out and kicked Tsunade away. He then faced Naruto who was glaring murder at him. "Well, here we are again. However, I do not have the time to play with you Naruto. This time, you will die." Naruto growled and threw a kunai at him. Orochimaru vanished and reappeared behind Naruto. He whipped his head and brought his sword to decapitate him. Tsunade shielded him again, the sword cutting into her back. Orochimaru snarled and kicked Tsunade away. Naruto tried to attack him but he was kicked away as well. Seeing that he would have to kill Tsunade first, He made his way over to deal with her. As he stood over her, he saw that she was no longer shivering. He was suddenly sent flying by one of Tsunade's fist.

Tsunade stood and stood proudly. She glared at Orochimaru and faced him with lines appearing across her face. She did a seal and began to focus her chakra.

"Reserve Seal: Release. Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration!" Tsunade said. Orochimaru watched as the wounds on Tsunade began to heal like they never appeared. Orochimaru was intrigued with what she just did.

"Well, what new things have you learned when you were out of the village?" Orochimaru asked.

"With this jutsu active, I will not die. Prepare yourself Orochimaru because unlike sensei, I will not hold back." Tsunade said and wiped some blood off her chest. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and he made his way over to Kabuto. The young man had some time to heal and was able to get to his knees. Jiraiya bit into his thumb and smeared it across his palm. Each member of slammed their hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" all three shouted and a large plume of smoke appeared. When it cleared, each shinobi was standing on their summons, Jiraiya on Gamabunta, Orochimaru on Manda and Tsunade on Katsuyu. Gamabunta looked at the group before him and took a puff of his pipe.

"**Orochimaru and Manda, Tsunade and Katsuyu, quite a time for a reunion.**" Gamabunta said.

"It isn't much of a reunion. We're about to finish something that should have been taken care of years ago." Jiraiya said.

"Katsuyu, I need you to head over to the blond boy there. Help Shizune heal his cracked ribs."

"**Yes ma'am.**" Katsuyu said. A small piece of the giant slug broke off and landed on the ground. It made its way over to where Shizune and Naruto were. Tsunade turned her attention back to Orochimaru. After a few insults were traded between Manda and Gamabunta, Orochimaru finally spoke.

"Why are you really doing this Tsunade? You may have seen through my plot but why go so far for the village that has taken so much away from you?" Orochimaru asked.

"That boy, that boy showed me what it really means to have the Will of Fire. I lost that feeling years ago and that boy sparked something that has long been buried. He has made me believe again and I will not disappoint him. As the fifth Hokage of Konoha, I will defeat you here and now!" Tsunade said. Jiraiya smirked and got ready to fight. Orochimaru just chuckled.

"Very well fool, let's see if you can."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_: Here's the new chapter. As you can see I combined two pervious chapters into one. I wanted to stop when the Rasengan connected but my hands would not stop. Don't expect a very drawn out battle in the next chapter. There might be a few changes from the cannon.


	23. Chapter 23

Gamabunta was the first to attack, lashing out with his blade. Manda ducked and moved quickly to get behind him. Gamabunta jumped away and fired several bullets of water at him. Manda dodged easily and moved toward the descending toad.

"**Acid Slime!**" Katsuyu shouted. A sticky substance came at Manda, forcing him to dodge. The substance hit the ground and melted the ground. Manda rushed toward Katsuyu and was on her in seconds. He was then stopped when Gamabunta landed on his tail. Manda roared and glared at the toad. Katsuyu fired another Acid Slime at Manda, close range. The serpent managed to escape but did get a little burned from a drop of slime. He gained some distance and coiled up while facing the two summons. He turned his attention to Orochimaru.

"**What are you doing Orochimaru?! Get your act together or I will destroy you!**" Manda roared.

"Please Manda-sama, we will do as you ask." Kabuto said trying to appease the great summon.

"**Shut up! I wasn't speaking to you!**" Manda shouted at him. Kabuto shut his mouth and looked at the arms of Orochimaru.

_'This is not good. If Manda learns of his useless arms, he will turn on us in a second.'_ His thoughts were interrupted when Manda moved again. He attacked Katsuyu first, quickly wrapping around her and began to crush her. Tsunade immediately jumped off as Katsuyu broke into several clones of herself. She landed on Gamabunta's head just as he charged at Manda. The snake caught the blade in his mouth and swung his tail, slamming it into Gamabunta's side. The toad grunted but grabbed the tail. He let go of his blade and swung Manda around. He released the snake and sent him flying into the hills. Gamabunta didn't waste time.

"**Water Style: Rampaging Water!**" the toad shouted and fired a stream of high powered water. It cut into the ground and sliced Manda's body in two. Gamabunta was pleased until he saw the body. He cursed but he was too late. Manda blast out from the ground and had his mouth wide open. Again, Manda was hit from the side by Katsuyu. Manda roared in pain as he felt something burn him. The reason was that Katsuyu's body was coated with some type of ooze. So focused was the snake on the pain, no one saw Tsunade run up the body of Manda. She reached right under his jaw and threw a powerful haymaker that shut his jaw. Gamabunta followed her lead and slammed a webbed palm right into Manda, sending him flying again. He landed with a thud.

Manda slithered and glared at the two summonses. He then glared at Orochimaru. His jaw hurt like hell and he was sure that it might have been broken.

"**I've had enough of this! You are on your own Orochimaru! Never contact me again!**" Manda said and vanished. This left Orochimaru and Kabuto alone to face the two Sannin and their summons. Orochimaru just chuckled at the situation.

"It looks like that we have no choice but to retreat." Orochimaru said. He then faced his former comrades. "You may have denied me Tsunade but I have other way to repair my arms. When I do, I will not forget this. I will see you and Konoha burn to the ground. I have all the time in the world because I am immortal." He said as she sank into the ground. He continued until he was gone. Kabuto smirked as well.

"Farewell." Kabuto said. He did some hand seals and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade sat at the bar and drank another saucer of sake. She poured another saucer and put down the bottle. She let it settled before downing it. She was drinking a little bit because she was two days away from Konoha. She considered bolting on the group but then she did not want to hear the little brat's mocking tone. Maybe she was afraid of the fact that she would be Hokage. She had been out of the village for years and did not know what to expect when she returned home.

She sighed again and reached for the bottle. However, the bottle was empty and she pouted at that. That's when another bottle appeared next to her. She looked at the person who gave her another bottle and saw Jiraiya.

"Nervous about going home?" he asked her.

"A little." Tsunade said and poured herself a bottle. She decided to slowly sip this one. She turned back to Jiraiya. "What can you tell me about Konoha? What should I expect when I return?"

"Not too much princess. If anything, the old fossils have probably handled things. There are some things that I should warn you about, most of them about the kid." Jiraiya said.

"What about him? He was going on and on about a scroll that sensei was holding for him." Tsunade said.

"Scroll, I don't know anything about that. I was talking about his team." Jiraiya said.

"What about it?" Tsunade asked.

"You're going to have to be very careful when you deal with them. He was teamed with the Uchiha and some civilian girl with Kakashi as a sensei. Before I left to find you, I found out that Kakashi had them removed form duty with the exception being the kid. I learned some more and apparently he isn't having a good time with the team. Kakashi can explain it better than I can. Also, there are some minor issues but they should not be a problem." Jiraiya answered.

"Is that so?" Tsunade asked. She slowly sipped the sake as she thought about what she would have to deal with. It didn't sound too serious but she was very curious about what the problem is with Naruto's team. She would have to speak to Kakashi when she arrived.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade entered the village with her entourage. As soon as she did she was confronted by two jōnin. She noticed the two as Genma Shiranui and Raidō Namiashi.

"Lady Tsunade, we are here to take you to see the council." Raidō said.

"They don't waste any time." Tsunade said with a sigh. She turned to Shizune and Naruto. "You two are dismissed for now. I'll see you in a while." The two nodded and left. Tsunade and Jiraiya followed the two jōnin. It took a while before the two were in front of the council. When she entered, everyone bowed to her and she waved them off. Koharu was the first to speak.

"It is good to see you again Tsunade. I am glad that you have accepted the offer that Jiraiya made." She said.

"Yeah, yeah, I've accepted your offer. I will become the Fifth Hokage. Jiraiya has explained several things to me before arriving. So, let's get to work." Tsunade said. She made her way to the Hokage chair and sat down. With that, the meeting got on its way.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade sighed as she looked at the village from her window. She had just finished today's paperwork and was enjoying a small drink. It was a pretty slow day for her but she was very thankful for it. It had been a very hectic two week since her introduction as Hokage. She did not waste time and got to work to help get the village that her family created back to top shape. She had changed little in those two weeks but they were actually pretty good changes. One was introducing medical training into the academy and another was to make the academy better in terms of shinobi skills. Only a few were not pleased but if it cut down on lives being taken, she didn't care what everyone thought.

She also had promoted two new chūnin into the ranks. They were Shikamaru and Naruto. While Jiraiya did say that Naruto would be promoted, she had to make that decision. After reviewing the match with Neji and the judges input, she agreed with the pervert. Naruto was so happy for his promotion that he didn't care about embarrassing himself by hugging her. Either way, she was very happy for the boy and was already make a splash in the academy by being Iruka's temporary assistant. She made it temporary because she wanted the boy to learn for that scroll.

She could not believe that luck of that kid. She wondered if his luck went as far as cards. There was never really a record of the Sage of Six Paths but now Konoha had it. She had always been told that her family had a close connection to the sage but she always wrote it off as fairy tales. She had relinquished the scroll to Naruto when he went up in rank with instructions that he would not training with it unless his sensei or Jiraiya was with him. She literary beat it into him that was the only reason that he was getting his scroll. From what Jiraiya had reported to her, the boy had just learned that he was a wind type. She wished the boy luck with that.

With the good came the bad. There were two things that she had to deal with that gave her a big headache. The minor of the two was Sakura Haruno. When the council brought Kakashi's request up when she first arrived, she personally looked into it. She couldn't believe the issues that this girl had. She had been written up for insubordination, been arrested for assault and had a restraining order against her from the Yamanaka clan. Her discussions with Kakashi and Iruka made her make the changes in the academy. She couldn't have someone like this in her forces. She called in Sakura and told her point blank that she was being stripped of his forehead protector and being sent back to the academy. Sakura was angry and shouted at her but she quickly put a stop to that. She called her actions shameful and that she had no use of a fan girl in the shinobi forces. She ripped the forehead protector off her head and forced her out of her office.

The second and more disturbed issue was Sasuke. After hearing things from Naruto, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Gai, she had Inoichi dive into Sasuke's mind to get to the bottom of things. When he came back to report to her and the council, they were all shocked. Apparently, Sasuke had very disturbing thoughts and they were getting darker by the minute. Inoichi described a boy who would do anything to gain power to avenge his clan, even kill his own comrades. It was also reported that Sasuke was willingly using the curse mark because of the power that it gave him. He said that the defeat at the hands of his brother has just made it worst. It was a unanimous decision that Sasuke be removed from duty and placed under surveillance. His seal was also to be sealed by Jiraiya.

Despite that, things were going pretty smoothly. She only hoped that it stayed that way. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't going to be so for long.

**_XXX_**

Sakura placed her pack down and looked at her new surroundings. It was very new to her and she did not like the new surroundings. The apartment was bleak and old. She couldn't complain as it was the cheapest place that she could afford at the moment. Lucky for her, she saved quite a bit for her missions. The reason for her new surroundings was the argument she had with her parents. They just did not understand her heart and she was getting very sick of their meddling. They had tried to get her to let go of her 'silly' crush they called it. She ripped into the both of them and that would be her undoing. Her father had enough and gave her a choice, Sasuke or her family. She chose Sasuke.

She cursed her situation and blamed it on everyone but herself. She blamed the Hokage for stripping her of her rank. She blamed Kakashi for not training her. She blamed Naruto for always causing problems for her and Sasuke. Most of the blame she placed on Ino Yamanaka. Ever since she called her out at the chūnin exams, her life had been a living hell. Ino did not apologize for it, saying that she deserved everything she got. It was because of her that she had such black marks on her record. Now, she was acting like this big shot kunoichi. How she hated her. Sakura kept plotting of ways to get back at her and she would get back at Ino. That she swore.

**_XXX_**

Sasuke walked around his home, making sure that he passed every window. It was to make sure that those who were watching him saw him carefully. He knew that they were there even if he could not see them. As he walked around, he was thinking of where he was going when he left the village. He had come to that decision when he got the news from that Hokage.

He was awakened by her and he faced her, Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Kakashi. The woman demanded to know why he would willingly use the mark that Orochimaru gave him. He refused to answer her as he felt that it wasn't her business what he did with the mark. That would be his undoing as she explained to him that a better seal has been placed over the mark. That pissed Sasuke off and he demanded that it be removed. Tsunade refused and also told him that he was being removed from duty and placed under surveillance until he proved himself to be trustful. She left the angry Uchiha to stew in his rage.

It was that day that Sasuke decided to leave the village. He realized that he would never get the power that he need in the village. They were attempting to hold him back and that was not going to happen. He would leave and try to get a message to Orochimaru. He gave him the power that would help in his quest. He didn't care if he had to give up his body to do it. He continued to carefully plan his escape for the village.

**_XXXXX_**


	24. Chapter 24

Naruto came to the realization that he would never understand women. They were just a species that were just too difficult to get a reading on. He let out another yawn as he stretched out his muscles. Across from him, Ino was doing the same thing. He was annoyed with the girl across from him. He was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of taking the hat for Tsunade, when he heard loud banging coming from his front door. He tried to ignored it but it sounded like the person was about to knock his door down. Getting up, he went to shout at the person. When he opened the door, Ino was in his face.

He glared at her and she glared at him. After a few seconds, Naruto demanded to know why she was banging his door. Ino just told him to get dressed and meet her at her team's training ground for a spar. Naruto did what any body would do. He slammed the door in her face. He went back to bed and was slipping back to sleep. However, this was Ino Yamanaka and no one blew her off. A crash was heard that woke the blond. He went to investigate to find his window smashed and a medium size stone in his living room. From outside, Ino was holding another stone. Naruto told her that he would be out in ten minutes.

Naruto was tired, grumpy and pissed. If Ino wanted a spar, them she was going to get a spar. He finished his stretching and waited for her to finish. As he waited, he couldn't help but notice that Ino's butt looked a little firmer. He wondered why. Ino had finished stretching and faced him, noticing the look on his face.

"What was that look on your face?" Ino asked.

"What look?" Naruto returned.

"That stupid look that you had on your face. It looked like you were thinking too hard and hurting yourself." Ino said with a smirk.

"I'm thinking about this crazy blond haired bitch that broke my damn window and will be paying for it or she will pay dearly for it." Naruto said with a tone.

"I will let that slide because little baby needs to go to sleep. Anyway, I just need to see where I am with my taijutsu and I thought that you would be the perfect person to help me." Ino said.

"Fine but don't expect me to go easy on you." Naruto said and got into his stance.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm about to give you the fight of your life." Ino said and got into a stance of her own. The two just stood there, neither making a move. After a while, Ino was the first to move. Moving quickly but not too quickly, Naruto threw a hook at Ino. She ducked it and struck him three times with her knuckles. Naruto grunted and felt incredible pain. Before he could move, Ino grabbed his black jersey and pulled him back. She used her legs to toss Naruto as she fell back. Naruto flipped into a tree and hissed. Ino popped back up and got into her stance.

"What's the matter? Am I too strong for you?" she mocked.

"Okay," Naruto grunted and stood up. "Okay, the warm-up is over." He said. Naruto rushed Ino and was in her defense. He then easily broke her stance, causing her to stumble. He threw a roundhouse to her ribs, which she caught with a grunt. She did a leg whip that sent the two the ground. She then attempted to put an ankle lock on Naruto but he was able to roll out of it. Naruto came to his feet and slapped it a little to get back some feeling in the leg. He got back in his stance and watched as Ino began to circle him.

Ino watched Naruto, looking for an opening. Whenever, she attempted to rush in, Naruto would hold her off with a quick jab. She found her opening when Naruto added a cross to his keep-away method. She struck, hitting several nerves and stunning Naruto. She grabbed his arm and used a hip throw to get him to the ground. She then followed it up with a cross arm-breaker maneuver. Naruto was quick to force his arm to bend and get to his feet. Ino quickly switched from the cross arm-breaker into a triangle choke hold. Naruto was quickly losing air as Ino's strong, yet smooth, legs were wrapped around him. Naruto powered himself up and lifted Ino off the ground. He raised her high in the air before bringing her down with amazing force. Ino gasped and released her hold.

Naruto got some distance and some air. Ino was slowly getting to her feet and grabbed her lower back. Ino ignored her pain and charged at Naruto. However, Naruto was able to get back into the spar and dodged Ino's strike. Ino continued to attempt to strike some nerves but Naruto danced around her strikes. As he danced, he tagged Ino with some jabs, straights and cross to her body. He then landed a front kick to her chest. Ino felt the wind leave her and Naruto pushed his advantage by landing a rising knee. Ino dropped to her knees and gasped for air. Naruto realized that he might have gone too far. He let his guard down and that is when Ino struck.

She tackled him to the ground and tried to pin him. Naruto was surprised but he was aware enough to reverse the move and pinned her. Ino tried to grab a joint but Naruto pinned her arms and her waist to ground. The two were breathing hard from the struggle until Ino finally gave up. Their adrenaline was pumping and there was this fierce look in their eyes. Naruto could feel the budding chest on his. Ino could feel the muscles that Naruto surprising had. They just stared at each other and allow each of their hot breath to touch their faces. That's when things just got real and both had red faces.

They quickly separated and got some distance away from each other. They turned away from each other, not wanting to see the other at the moment. Both were trying to understand what the hell just happened.

_'Holy shit, did I just get an erection? What the hell was I thinking? She's going to kill me, tell her father, then he's going to revive me just to kill me again. Damn stupid hormones, of all people to get an erection with! She's never going to forget this!'_ Naruto thought with his face red.

_'I can't believe that I was aroused by Naruto. What the hell is wrong with me?! It's Naruto! Sure, he's gotten kind of ripped. I mean, I felt a nice six-pack when he pinned me. Stop it, stop it, this is Naruto. Naruto, damn it! Oh my god, I'm going to literary die.' _Ino thought furiously. There was a very tense silence between the two and neither was speaking to the other. After a few minutes of silence, Naruto noticed something.

"Is that Sasuke?" Naruto suddenly ask. Ino looked in his direction and narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, that is him. Why does he have his pack with him?" Ino asked.

"Got me, I thought that he was suspended." Naruto said. The two stood and looked at each other. Small blushes appeared on their faces and they looked away.

"Uh, I guess we should find out where he is going." Ino said.

"Yeah, let's do that." Naruto said. The two gathered themselves and made their way to cut Sasuke off. Their feelings would have to be talked about later.

**_XXX_**

Sasuke quickly made his way through the trees. If he continued on this path, he could easily slip past the guards. He easily managed to get pass his watchers with a normal Clone Jutsu. Either way, he would continue on until he got to Orochimaru. When he got together with the traitorous shinobi, he would finally get the power to achieve his objectives.

Sasuke suddenly stopped when he felt that he was being followed. Two people appeared in front of him and one of them made him growl. Naruto and Ino looked at Sasuke who didn't look like he was happy to see them. Naruto saw the pack and he prepared himself for anything. Ino saw him tense and was preparing herself as well.

"Where are you going Sasuke? I didn't know that you were doing missions again." Naruto said.

"That's none of your business dobe." Sasuke stated harshly.

"I'm making it my business Uchiha. From the looks of it, you're planning on leaving the village without permission. As a chūnin of Konoha, I won't allow that." Naruto said with a serious tone.

"They made you a chūnin?!" Sasuke exclaimed. He clenched his fist in anger. "Then, that makes my decision all the more clear. This village has been holding me back and has not been giving me the power I need for my objectives. I am leaving Konohagakure." Naruto narrowed his eyes while Ino gasped. That's when Sasuke gave Naruto a deadly glare. "However, before I leave this weak place, I'm going to settle things with you. It is because you that I am not as strong as I should be. I refuse to be known as second best to you." Sasuke quickly did some hand seals and took a deep breath. "**_FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!"_**

Naruto and Ino dodged the jutsu. Naruto moved quickly toward Sasuke. The Uchiha meet his charge and the two clashed in a flurry of kicks and punches. Naruto gained the advantage and caught Sasuke with a spinning hook kick that sent Sasuke to the ground. The boy quickly got to his feet just as Naruto dropped to the ground. Sasuke pulled out two shuriken and threw it at Naruto.

"Illusion Dance!" Naruto called out and began to move at different times. Sasuke cursed and activated his Sharingan. His eyes widen when Naruto was in his face. Sasuke blocked the jab but not the cross to the body. Naruto grabbed him in a clench and slammed his knee into his face. Sasuke felt something break. He pulled out a kunai and swung it at Naruto but it was nothing but and after-image. Sasuke was battered from his blind side and sent flying into a tree. Naruto stood at the ready and faced Sasuke. The young Uchiha stood and wiped the blood from his nose. He snarled at him.

"Surrender Sasuke." Naruto said.

"Screw you!" Sasuke shouted and engaged Naruto again, his Sharingan spinning. Naruto readied himself as Sasuke attacked him furiously. Naruto ducked and dodged every attack. He countered with a series of punches and kicks. Sasuke was overwhelmed by the attack. Naruto then launched him in the air and launched some non-lethal Air Blades at Sasuke that ripped his clothes apart. Sasuke screamed in pain and hit the ground hard. Sasuke struggled to stand, refusing to be defeated again.

"I… will… not… lose…" Sasuke slowly growled out.

"That's enough Sasuke. I am giving you another chance to surrender. If you don't, I will start to get serious and take you out." Naruto said.

"Take me out? You think that you can?" Sasuke asked. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Several balls of fire came at Naruto. The blond used the Illusion Dance to avoid the attack but it was a ploy by Sasuke. Using the Sharingan, he was able to tell where Naruto was about to appear next. Do a string a seals, he activated Kakashi's jutsu. Naruto appeared but Sasuke was in his face, lightning in his hand. "I'm going to take you out! **_CHIDORI!_**" Sasuke thrust his hand forward and Naruto had no way to avoid it.

"Mind-Body Exchange Jutsu!" Ino shouted. She invaded Sasuke's body and veered the Chidori into the tree. Naruto was still hit in the shoulder by the jutsu. Ino ended her jutsu and returned to her body. Sasuke watch the jutsu die out and was enraged. He turned to Ino with rage in his eyes.

"You bitch!" Sasuke roared and charged at her. Ino readied herself. Sasuke over-reached his punch and Ino hit him several times in the arms, numbing them. She them used both of her feet to drill Sasuke in the chest. Sasuke grunted and spat out some bile. Sasuke staggered back but this would be his undoing. Naruto appeared and his was not happy.

"Illusion Dance: Air Raid Assault!" Many images surrounded Sasuke and he was struck from all angles with Air Blades. Sasuke screamed in agony as Naruto did not stop his attack. When Naruto did stop, Sasuke hit the ground with a thud. Naruto landed in front of Ino. He was breathing hard and bleeding. Ino quickly tended to him, figuring that Sasuke was out for the count. They were both surprised that Sasuke began to move. He was covered in bruises and cuts. His clothes were shredded because of the attack.

"Damn… you… Naruto. I… will… not… allow… you… to… make… me… look… weak." Sasuke gasped out. He was suddenly pinned to the ground by a shinobi. Several more shinobi appeared and surrounded the area. Naruto and Ino were a little surprised to see so much ninja. Izumo and Kotetsu were among the ninja. They noticed Naruto and Ino. They went over to them.

"Naruto, oh man, are you alright?" Izumo asked with worry.

"Yeah, I just got grazed with a lightning attack." Naruto said with a grunt.

"What happened here? We came to this area when we felt a spike of chakra during patrol." Kotetsu asked.

"Sasuke was preparing the leave the village. We came on him when we were sparring and stopped him. He got very angry when Naruto said he was a chūnin and attacked us. He then attempted to kill Naruto with a lightning attack that surrounded his hand. I managed to possess him and divert the attack. He then came at me and I defended myself and Naruto finished him off." Ino explained.

"Oh man, Tsunade is going to freak out when she hears that we blew the mission." One of the shinobi said.

"What are you talking about?" Izumo asked.

"We were tasked to watch over the Uchiha because there was an issue with his loyalty. We realized that he used the Clone Jutsu to sneak out of his home." The man explained to them.

"Oh man, Granny Tsunade is going to kill you guys. I mean, you better pray that she's sober or has only had one saucer of sake because she is like bi-polar man." Naruto said. The team was sweating bullets at having to face an angry Hokage.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Sorry that this is late but I was busy with my classes. Learning how to use Adobe Flash Professional is a bitch. I hope you liked the ending. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	25. Chapter 25

Tsunade was flanked by two ANBU members. She was walking with a purpose as she had just gotten word about what happened. She was very angry with the team that she sent to watch over Sasuke. How in the world did a genin who was on probation manage to fool a well-trained team? She didn't have time to deal with them. She was going to face the traitor that attempted to kill one of her shinobi. She entered the room and faced the young Uchiha.

The boy looked up at her and glared at her in defiance. She saw that he was gagged and looked at the guards. They made no comment about it and just waited. Tsunade took a file and opened it. She turned a few pages and reached a page.

"You have been a busy boy haven't you? Since your awakening from the beating you received from your brother," Sasuke struggled against his bonds after she said. "You've insulted several high ranking ninja; you attacked a store owner who wouldn't give you a discount and various other things. However, this little episode is a doozy. Knowingly betraying the village and attempting to kill one of my new chūnin, that takes some balls from such a little brat. I hope it was worth it kid because that will be your last mistake." Tsunade said. Sasuke looked confused and looked like he wanted to speak. She ordered the guard to remove the gag.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke demanded.

"You're a traitor and like every traitor, you'll be punished as such. After Inoichi gathers every single thing in your head, you will be dealt with, forever." Tsunade said. Sasuke looked at her with shock and fear.

"No, you can't do this to me! I will not allow you to take away my ambition!" Sasuke shouted.

"I don't care about your ambition! You were planning to go to a known enemy of Konoha and you tried to kill a Konoha ninja. The day you put on the symbol of Konoha, you became an adult. Since you want to do adult crimes, then you will face adult consequences." Tsunade said. Sasuke snarled and struggled to get out of his bindings. That's when someone entered the room. Tsunade glared at the person because they just barged in without even announcing themselves. The ninja looked at Tsunade with a gulp before gathering the courage to speak.

"Lady Tsunade, the council has asked that you come to the meeting room. They are gathering and have requested your presence." The ninja said. He was hit with a dose of killer intent from the blond Hokage. She glared at the messenger before facing one of the guards.

"Gag him and make sure that Inoichi wipes his mind. I'll be back soon." Tsunade ordered. She left with her ANBU and made her way to the meeting hall.

**_XXX_**

Tsunade entered the meeting hall with an attitude. She kicked the doors opened and entered with a stomp. She was not happy and you could see it on her face. She glared at everyone in the room before making her way to her seat. The second she sat down she blasted the room with her killer intent.

"Who in the hell do you people think that you are? Who are you to call a meeting without my authority?" Tsunade demanded.

"We are sorry Lady Tsunade but we had to stop you before you made a terrible mistake." A council woman said.

"Oh, what mistake is that?" Tsunade asked.

"We need you to resend your execution orders of Sasuke Uchiha. He is too important to the village to be killed." She said.

"What are you talking about? This boy just attempted to leave the village and tried to kill someone in cold blood. Why should we hold back judgment when he's clearly in the wrong?" asked Chōza.

"We need the Sharingan. If we kill Sasuke, then we lose the Sharingan forever. We can't risk that." She explained.

"What are you talking about Misumi? How can you defend this boy after everything that he has done?" asked a council man. Misumi looked at him with a little surprise. "Did you forget what he did to that poor shopkeeper? Are you just going to ignore that just because you allowed the merchants to do so with him?" he voice kept rising.

"He's right Misumi. The villagers are actually afraid of him now. They clear the way when they see him. He shows no one any respect and feels that he should not have to. He acts superior to everyone around him. I, for one, am sick of it." another council man said.

"There you have it council woman. Sasuke will face judgment for his crimes and you can do nothing about it. Even if we placed it to a vote, you will lose." Tsunade said.

"Very well, then I will be filing for a stop to the execution and filing that he be tried by the ninja tribunal." Misumi said. This got a lot of angry murmuring. "It is the law set down by the Nidaime Hokage and I have the right to do so. If you refuse me, then I will take this over your head and take it to the Fire daimyō."

"Do not threaten me Misumi. I am not like the Sandaime and I will not take things like that likely." Tsunade said with some force. After everyone calmed down, Tsunade looked at Misumi with narrowed eyes. "Fine, go ahead and do your paperwork. You are only delaying his fate. However, after we take everything out of his head, he is going to be placed into the Konoha Correctional Facility until we clear things up."

"T-That's too harsh! He is just a child!" Misumi exclaimed.

"He was a shinobi so that makes him an adult. He will be treated as such. This meeting is done and Misumi," Tsunade hit the civilian council member with a dose of killing intent. "Never overstep your authority again." With that said, everyone filed out of the meeting hall.

**_XXX_**

Naruto was bored out of his mind. He never liked hospitals and he didn't like waiting. He was lucky to have a companion. Ino decided to make sure that he didn't try to escape as the nurses asked her to do so. She had to stop him at least twice from going through the window. She didn't understand what made Naruto so special that the Hokage wanted to check him out herself. He should feel honored.

She noticed that he was looking around the room and sighed.

"Do I have to put you in another wrist lock to get you to calm down?" Ino asked.

"Damn it Ino, I'm fine. I don't need to wait for Grandma Tsunade to check me over. I heal pretty quickly." Naruto complained.

"First off, you should have respect for our Hokage. You don't call her grandma to her face, do you?" Ino asked.

"What, she's old. That youthful look that you see is all an illusion." Naruto said, making hand gestures.

"Secondly, you should feel honored that the Hokage personally wants to check you over." Ino said.

"She's just being overprotective. Hell, Pervy Sage threw me off a cliff to learn how to summon and I turned out fine." Naruto said. Ino just shook her head and just kept an eye on the blond. After a few moments of silence, Ino looked at Naruto.

"So, Sasuke becoming a traitor? I can't really believe it." Ino said.

"I knew that he was dealing with things, even as a kid. You guys didn't see it but he had some dark thoughts in his head. It was kind of similar to my former feelings. Still, I didn't think that his hatred grew to such a length." Naruto said. Ino filed what he said for later and kept on task.

"What do you think will happen to him now?" Ino asked.

"You got me. Granny Tsunade isn't like Old Man Hokage. She won't take what happened lightly and the council isn't going to stop her." Naruto said.

"The council is likely to support her than fight her." Ino said. Naruto looked at her with surprise. "Oh that right, you don't pay attention to thing unless it's ramen or training." Naruto glared at her for mocking him. "Well, the view of Sasuke in the village has changed. He attacked a civilian who wouldn't give him a discount like always and a lot of people fear him now. They would gladly accept that Sasuke is jailed."

"Wow, that must suck for the bastard." Naruto joked. After a while, Naruto got a little nervous, confusing Ino. "Hey, about what happened before the fight with Sasuke? I… well… you see…" Naruto just couldn't find the words to tell her. Ino looked confused until she realized what he was talking about.

"Oh, that. W-Well, it was just a reaction. It's normal with boys and you just couldn't help yourself with such a beauty as myself." Ino said with a blush. "Besides, I shouldn't be surprised seeing that it's you."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"Well, you are a little perverted. Plus, this is the second time you've done something perverted with me." Ino said with an arrogant tone.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, WOAH! Two times! When the hell did that happen?!" Naruto shouted.

"Um, this thing called the Chūnin Exams!" Ino shouted back.

"That was your fault! You shoved my face into your chest, which by the way wasn't as developed as you assume!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What'd you say to me?!" Ino demanded loudly.

"You heard me, flat chest!" Naruto exclaimed. Ino was red with anger. She grabbed a bed pan and was about to brain Naruto in the head until a cough stopped the two in their tracks. They turned to see Tsunade and Shizune in the doorway. Tsunade had an amused smirk on her face while Shizune attempted to hide her laughter.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tsunade asked.

"Just someone attempting murder." Naruto muttered. It earned him a glare from Ino, which promised him pain.

"Well then, let's get you out of here so you can get on with the rest of your day." Naruto calmed down and prepared himself for the check-up. As Tsunade began to check him over, she could help but take a few looks at the two blondes. She had been eavesdropping on their conversation, a little pissed at the 'Granny' crack. When they talked about their little accident, it took all her will not to laugh with Shizune. She found it cute and funny that Naruto got a little erect from whatever happened between the two. From Ino's blush, she must have had a reaction as well.

A little mini-version of herself began to plot things in her head. She kept on imagining the two together and found it right. She just continued to smirk and plan on how to get the two together when they got a little older.

**_XXX_**

News of Sasuke's attempt to defect and attempted murder of Naruto had reached the ears of the villagers. There were a lot of reactions but the main premise of the news was that Sasuke was off the streets. Everyone knew about how he was acting as of late and was happy that he was no longer on the streets terrorizing everyone. They were even glad that the one to take down the disturbed child was Naruto.

Naruto's comrades and friends made time to check on the blond and see if he was okay. Naruto assured them that he was alright and he was going back on duty tomorrow. He was however teased, mostly by Kiba and Kakashi, about why he was with Ino. Hinata was also curious about it as well and narrowed her eyes at Ino. The two blondes denied everything but Jiraiya came and messed that up. However, they were glad that he was okay and that he kicked Sasuke's butt.

Sakura was the exception to everyone. When she heard what happened, she left in the middle of a lesson to check on Sasuke. She was refused to see him, which angered her. It increased when she saw that everyone seems to be enjoying the fact that Sasuke was in jail. How could everyone turn on him like that? The reason he was acting like that was because he was not getting what he deserved. She ran into council woman Misumi who kept her in the loop. She was even hired by the council woman to start up the paperwork to stop his execution. She would do it to save the person that she loved.

Sasuke was not having the best of time. After everything was extracted from his head, he was thrown into Konoha's Correctional Facility. He got calls from the prisoners and Sasuke looked at them with defiance. During dinner, he shoved his way to the front of the line. This did not sit well with some prisoners and one of them stopped him. Sasuke slapped the hand away and told the man to get out of his way. That proved to be a mistake as he was struck from behind. Once the ground, the prisoners began to stomp on the young Uchiha. After a while, they left him on the ground for the guards to come and get him.

As the dragged him away, Sasuke glared at everyone and swore that he would burn this place and Konoha to the ground.

**_XXX_**

Orochimaru looked at the report that he received for Konoha. This did not please him. His body was failing him and the curse placed on him by the Sandaime was getting worst. He needed to change bodies and was about to send the Sound Four to get him. He was amused that he tried to get out on his own but he was captured by the Nine-tails' brat. Now, Tsunade had an execution order on him but was lucky stopped by some naïve council woman. He knew that she only wanted to gain power. Still, it would not last. Soon or later, Sasuke would be killed.

Orochimaru looked at Kabuto with a serious expression.

"Get Kimimaro up and running. I will need him to join the others. Get my body to me now."

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: I've decided to redo this chapter due to some reviews I got. Some of you were right. I was letting Sasuke get off with things. Knowing Tsunade's personality, she wouldn't have allowed Sasuke to live. Still, I'm sticking to Sasuke escaping and stuff, so do not be too surprised by it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the replacement chapter and that I have made it a little more believable.


	26. Chapter 26

Naruto entered the Hokage's office the next day, fully healed and ready for action. As he entered, he got some looks from the people in the room. Tsunade gave him a deadpan look as she looked at what he was wearing.

"Really?" Tsunade asked.

"What? It's made from the same material as my chūnin flak jacket. If anything, this is a little better because it's a long sleeve jacket." Naruto explained.

"Okay but why orange? It is a horrible color for a ninja." Tsunade commented.

"Oh really? If it's such a bad color, then how was I able to outrun and hide from jōnin-level and ANBU level ninja huh? How is it that some of Konoha's strongest couldn't catch me and find me huh? The only person who ever caught me was the guy sitting next to you and he's the same rank as me. What does that tell you?" Naruto asked boastfully. Tsunade chuckled at his attitude.

"Tells me that my ANBU should be ashamed and Iruka should be promoted." She joked. "Either way, are you ready for your first mission outside as a chūnin?"

"What's the mission?" Naruto asked.

"You're in charge of this mission and these two, Komugi and Inaho, are your back-up." Tsunade said and handed his a paper. Naruto looked at it and his eyes widen.

"Really, you're sending me to the Wave Country again? Are they okay?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, it is just a pick-up mission. The mission that you did with your former team was an A-rank really. Before his passing, Sarutobi-sensei managed a payment plan with the country. This will actually be the last payment. I figured that this would be a good test of your leadership abilities. Your mission is to collect the payment and return. Think you can handle that?" Tsunade asked with a smirk. Naruto just scoffed at her and faced his team.

"We'll meet at the front gate in thirty. Bring enough for a four-day round trip. Bring some weapons as well as someone might attack us for the money." Naruto ordered.

"Hai!" they said and left the room. Naruto gave her a salute and left himself. Tsunade just smiled and wished the young blond well.

**_XXX_**

Ino was watching the counter at the flower shop but she wasn't really all there. She was having some deep thoughts running through her head. The main thought was what type of ninja she really wanted to be. In truth, she thought that she would follow in her father's footsteps. He was a high ranking member of the Konoha Intelligence Division and a very skilled interrogator. Now, she didn't really feel that was her path. It was just all the training that she was doing. She felt that she could do more.

That's when she turned her head and caught sight of the proctor of the second stage of the Chūnin Exams. Anko was her name, she believed. She wondered what she was doing near the shop. She was surprised when she entered. The two faced each other and Anko smiled.

"Hey, you're one of Asuma's brats right?" Anko said. She then looked a little closer at her, which made her a little nervous. "Huh, you're not the same as before. It seems that you're taking your career a little seriously. That's pretty good. Your preliminary match was an embarrassment." Ino frowned at her for that comment. Anko ignored it and looked at her. "So, where's your dad kid? I need a couple of herbs to use on my tools."

"Daddy's not here. What kind of herbs do you need?" Ino asked. Anko looked at her with a deadpan look.

"I don't think you would know. I mean, what do you know of paralyzing agents?" Anko asked with a mocking tone.

"Well, the _Aesculus hippocastanum_, if used correctly, can cause paralysis, nausea and muscle twitches. Then there is _Conium _that causes stomach pains, vomiting, and progressive paralysis of the central nervous system. Anything else you want to ask me about Anko-senpai?" Ino asked with a smug tone. Anko gave Ino a dirty look, which made Ino gulp. Anko leaned into her and was in her face. She then smiled.

"Well now, you're pretty interesting. How would you like to be my herb girl? Maybe if you're good, I might teach you something." Anko said. Ino blinked a few times and wondered just how crazy this woman was.

**_XXX_**

It took a day and a half to reach the Wave Country. As the team reached the bridge, they were shocked to see Naruto's name on it. Naruto was so excited that he had his name on something. They made their way across the bridge and entered the village. It was doing a lot better Naruto noticed and was very happy for them. They were picking up the pieces and moving on. As they moved through the town, they were seen by a familiar family.

"Naruto!" a voice called out, making the team turn. In front of him was Inari, who was waving as was Tazuna and Tsunami. Naruto was happy to see the family and made his way over to them. Tsunami gave him a hug and he and Inari hi-five'd.

"What's going on guys? I see that you're back on your feet." Naruto said.

"Yeah, we are thanks to you kid. I hope you don't mind about the name on the bridge." Tazuna said.

"Are you kidding me? I'm stoked that you used my name. It's just a part of my Hokage memoirs." Naruto joked. As they talked, Komugi noticed that they were being watched. He looked and saw a group of shinobi with the Shimogakure symbol. He looked to his left and noticed a Kumo shinobi who just walked away. Komugi walked up to Naruto and leaned it.

"Sir, we are being watched by a team from Shimogakure. Also, a shinobi from Kumogakure has just walked away." He whispered. Naruto turned back to the family and smiled.

"Well, I would like to take that invitation but we're on a mission right now. The new Hokage is kind of on the rag and will get pissed if I spend any time. Next time maybe." Naruto said.

"We'll hold you to that Naruto." Tsunami said. They waved good-bye to each other and Naruto watched them disappear. He turned to his teammates. He made a quick head motion and they made their way to get the payment.

**_XXX_**

Surrounded by lava, the Konoha Correctional Facility was where a lot of Konoha's missing-nin and traitors were placed. It was this place that they went for their crimes to the Fire Country. Looking at the facility from on top the hill, five figures were observing the rotating guards. The only female of the group looked at a white haired boy.

"So what is our plan?" she asked.

"We grab Orochimaru's vessel and kill anyone in our way." He said. The five jumped down and rushed the prison.

**_XXX_**

Another beating he had suffered, another humiliating defeat, Sasuke stewed in his cell. His thoughts were only getting darker and his list kept getting longer. He so wanted to kill someone, anyone would do. He swore on his ancestors that he would get free of this place and burn it to the ground. He would gather an army and wage war against the village for his predicament. He hoped that Naruto would be Hokage so he could laugh as he burned his precious village to the ground.

His attention was interrupted when he heard a commotion. He stood and made his way to the bars. He couldn't see what was going on but he could hear the sounds of battle. He heard one of the guards scream and flesh being tore into. That's when two figures appeared in front of his cell. He stepped back and readied himself.

"At ease Sasuke Uchiha, we are not here to fight. We are here to save you." The teen said.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded. They got to a knee and bowed.

"I am Sakon of the West Gate." Sakon introduced.

"I am Kidōmaru of the East Gate. We are here to take you to Lord Orochimaru." Kidōmaru said. Sasuke relaxed and put his hands down. He got a smirk on his face.

"Very well, let's leave this place." Sasuke said. The two nodded and opened his cell door. The three left the area.

**_XXX_**

Naruto, Komugi and Inaho were just about to reach Konoha's gates. They did not stay long in the Wave Country because of the shinobi that they saw. The two genin had asked about the mission the Wave and Komugi could understand why there was more ninja around. He explained that with the new life of the Wave would bring new business, including the ninja villages. Naruto agreed with him and they left quickly before any ninja could ask about him. He even used some clones as a distraction.

As they closed in on the village, someone suddenly jumped onto the path. When they straighten up, Naruto was shocked to see who it was.

"Mizuki?" Naruto asked with shock. The man turned to see who it was and smiled.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little demon." Mizuki mocked. Naruto got into a battle stance as did the other two. This made Mizuki smirk at him more. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man who attempted to kill him and Iruka.

"What the hell are you doing out of prison?" Naruto demanded.

"I got an early release thanks to Lord Orochimaru. He was after Sasuke but I thank him either way." Mizuki said with some mirth. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "Now that we have that out of the way, it's time for me to get my revenge. GET READY TO DIE, DEMON BRAT!" Mizuki charged at Naruto with some speed. However, to Naruto, it was as if he was moving in slow motion. He vanished, surprising Mizuki, and struck out at the man with a knee. It stopped Mizuki cold and he gasped. Then Naruto took a stance and moved forward.

"Uzumaki Varied Assault!" Naruto shouted. He swung five elbow slashes at Mizuki, hitting him in various points in the chest and face. The fifth elbow launched Mizuki in the air and Naruto jumped after him. He then swung his elbow and a knee in a pincer movement that connected with Mizuki's head. Mizuki eyes rolled in the back of his head as he hit the ground. Naruto landed and looked at the defeated prisoner. His two charges looked at him with amazement. Naruto pulled out some ninja wire and restrained him. He ordered Komugi and Inaho to hurry. The three ran toward Konoha.

**_XXX_**

After dropping off Mizuki, the team made their way to the Hokage's office. Naruto didn't really wait and barged into the office.

"Granny Tsunade, I just heard about Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed.

"How did you hear about?" Tsunade asked with curiosity.

"We ran into Mizuki. He said that Sasuke got away." Naruto said. Tsunade looked at the two genin and made a motion toward them. Seeing that they were dismissed, they left to report in on their mission. Once out of the office, Tsunade faced Naruto.

"Yes, Orochimaru made a move and has freed Sasuke." Tsunade said.

"I request to be put on the team to bring him back." Naruto asked.

"If you haven't notice kid, everyone is dealing with the jail break. I don't have that many hands to deal with that and bring that brat back." Tsunade said.

"We just can't let him get to Orochimaru!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I know that! However, whoever broke him out isn't immediately taking him to Orochimaru. They would have to break the seals first, especially Jiraiya's seal around the curse mark." Tsunade explained.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"When we learned that Sasuke was using the curse mark on purpose, I had Jiraiya put a stronger seal on it. Reports say that there is a second level so they would need to break Jiraiya's seal and that would not be easy. Right now, I have all my trackers getting back the prisoners. Once I can get some, I will go after him. Don't worry about Sasuke, we will get him back and this time, we won't be easy on him." Tsunade said. Naruto nodded at her. "Good, now how did you mission go?"

**_XXX_**

"This is unacceptable." The white haired teenager said with a glare. Sakon looked right back at him.

"It's unavoidable. If this seal was placed on by Jiraiya, it could kill him before we can get him to Lord Orochimaru. I can work fast or I can work carefully. I can't do both." Sakon said right back at him.

"You will do both. The prison break will not hold Konoha back much longer. Finish this quickly or I will finish you." He threatened. The teen gulped and nodded. He got back to work in breaking the seal over the curse mark. As he worked, Sasuke focused his attention on his thoughts. He had a new ambition in life and he would not be stopped. He worked out in his head and it was now finalized.

He would train with the Snake Sannin and get stronger. Once he was strong enough, he would hunt down Itachi and kill him for the murder of his clan. After that, he would return and kill Orochimaru and his right hand, Kabuto. He would do so to gain control of his village. Once that was done, he would conquer the smaller villages, placing them under the Uchiha banner. Once he built a massive army, he would attack Konoha. He would spare no one. No women, men or child would survive and he would wipe Konoha out of existence.

To end his plan, he would keep Naruto alive to see it happen. After he showed that loser just who was the superior ninja, he would make him watch as he took his dream away. After it was all gone, he would use his sensei's own jutsu to end his life. With that, his vengeance would be complete. It was all destined because he was an avenger.

His Sharingan gleamed and had visions of his future ambition.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Another chapter that has been redone. I like this chapter better than the one I put out there before. Oh, the move that Naruto did is now an original. It is the property of CAPCOM and it belongs to Adon. When I wrote this story, that's who I based Naruto's style on.


	27. Chapter 27

It was the next day, when Tsunade summoned Kakashi, Shikamaru and Naruto into her office. She had placed Kakashi in charge of bringing Sasuke back to Konoha, dead or alive. The order was just given by the council who put a vote to it. Kakashi had wanted the mission and Tsunade was more than happy to give it to him. The jōnin told Naruto and Shikamaru to find anybody who was free to meet up in thirty minutes. The nodded and was gone.

The thirty minutes was up and the group was assembled. The two managed to gather some of the genin, which was something he expected. With them were Kiba and Akamaru, Chōji, Ino, Tenten, Neji, Shino and Hinata. It was a good group and they would be very useful. He allowed everyone to check their equipment before getting their attention. Shikamaru and Naruto stood at either side of him.

"Okay, we are going to have a small meeting and then head out. This will be classified as an S-rank mission due to the nature and importance of this mission. Yesterday, Sasuke Uchiha left voluntarily with forces of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. We know that Orochimaru is interested in the Sharingan and will do anything to get it. Our mission is to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha and bring him back to Konoha to face execution. If he does not come willingly, he is to be considered a major threat and is to be eliminated. Is that understood?" Kakashi asked everyone.

"Yes sir!" they exclaimed.

"Shikamaru and Naruto have a few words to say so listen in." Kakashi said. Naruto looked at Shikamaru and got a nod from Shikamaru.

"Alright guys, from what I was told, we will be dealing with jōnin-level opponents. These guys managed to break into the prison and critical wound several ninja. These ninja are the one's escorting Sasuke to the Sound. So we are going to be broken into teams of two. Here are the teams. Shikamaru is with Chōji, Kiba is with Shino, Hinata is with Ino, Tenten is with Neji and I'm with Kakashi. Each team with have a tracking ninja hound with them with the exception of Kiba and Shino since Akamaru is with you." Naruto said.

"What ninja hounds are you taking about?" asked Ino. Kakashi was the one to answer that question.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Kakashi said. The smoke cleared and a group of eight dogs appeared. Seven of the dogs moved around to the other teams while the small pug landed on Kakashi's shoulder. After that, Shikamaru stepped forward.

"Our battle plan is to fight as a team against these opponents. We can assume that they will be splitting up so to confused and hinder our progress." He said.

"What makes you come to that conclusion?" Neji asked.

"Sasuke's curse mark was sealed up by Jiraiya. He's a first rate seal master and any seal that he uses would take time to break." Naruto answered.

"Also, it seems that there is another level of the curse mark. One of the guards reported that one of the attackers changed their appearance, making their strength grow. We can guess that they would need to break that seal in order to do whatever procedure to give Sasuke that power." Shikamaru added.

"And that will take time?" Ino asked.

"Exactly. My guess is that they are still in the Fire Country and we have a chance to corner them. Are there any more questions?" Kakashi asked. No one had a question and they all looked ready. Kakashi nodded at them and was about to move out. That was until Sakura arrived at the front gate. The young pinkette had learned of the team that was going after Sasuke and was very worried. She knew at least two members of that team would not hesitate in taking out Sasuke.

She pushed pass everyone and faced Kakashi. The jōnin and former student faced off against each other.

"Kakashi, I want to come on this mission." Sakura said.

"Sorry, I can't take any non-ninja on a dangerous mission." Kakashi said.

"Don't give me that! You owe me because it's your fault that things happened!" Sakura shouted. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi asked with a hard tone. Sakura ignored the tone and faced him.

"You were a terrible sensei! If you had focused more on Sasuke and forgotten that idiot Naruto, we would have been a better team! We would have still been together! It's your fault and I know that you're going to correct your mistake by killing Sasuke! Well, I won't allow!" Sakura shouted. Naruto didn't like what she said to him and was about to voice his opinion but was stopped by Kakashi. Kakashi looked at Sakura who glared at him.

"You may have a point that I focused on Naruto but that was because he wanted to become a better ninja for his comrades and the village. What am I supposed to do, ignore it? He was more of a ninja than you and Sasuke. Sasuke was a boy who only wanted power and looked for the easy way to get it. And you are a disgrace of a kunoichi. You never had any drive to get better and only cared about yourself. Why would I help someone who would leave their comrades just to be with a crazed boy who doesn't have any love in his heart? You say that it is my fault but you are wrong. You and Sasuke are to blame for your own actions. You're not a shinobi. You're not even a person." Kakashi said.

Sakura looked at the man like she had been slapped in the face. It had to be the worst thing anyone has ever said to her. Kakashi didn't think of her as a person. That's when her shock turned into rage. She clenched her fists and snarled at the man who looked at her without a care. She cocked her fist back and let it fly. This would be the last mistake she would make. Kakashi caught the fist and put her in the same wrist lock hold that he put Sasuke in during their first meeting. Sakura struggled but it was quickly stopped when he hit a nerve point on her neck. Sakura was out like a light and Kakashi stood.

He created a clone and had it take Sakura back into the village. Kakashi sighed at what just happened. He wasn't too surprised by Sakura's action as he had been watching her since the team was disbanded. He looked for any signs that she would change her ways and become the kunoichi that he believed her to be. Sadly, she just kept showing him that she was just a lost cause. With that done, he turned to everyone else and ordered them out of the village.

Everyone vanished and was off to catch a traitor.

**_XXX_**

Like Shikamaru predicted, the Sound Five did in fact split up. It took all night to finally break Jiraiya's seal. They couldn't wait for Sakon to regain his chakra and immediately got to helping Sasuke get to the second level of the curse mark. They explained it to him that he would have to die and placed inside a barrel. Sasuke readily took the pill that was given to him and did the procedure. After it was done and Sasuke was sealed, Kimimaro decided to split the team. Creating fake barrels, they took off in different directions.

Kakashi's ninja hounds caught their scents and were on them in an instant. The closest scent was the two headed teen. As he was nearly out of chakra, he wasn't as fast. Catching his scent was Akamaru and Kiba. Shino nodded at him and the two took off after him. The two caught up with him in an instant and cut him off from escape. The teen looked at the two with a snarl.

"Damn that Kimimaro, I'm going to kill him when I get through with this." He snarled. Kiba, Shino and Akamaru readied themselves for a fight. Despite his lack of chakra, he was amused by the confidence of the two in front of him. "Do you kids really think that I can defeat me? Just because I look weak right now doesn't mean that I will be easy pickings. Just remembered the name, Sakon of the West Gate." Kiba scoffed at him and threw a pill at Akamaru who ate it. He jumped on his head.

"Man-Beast Clone!" Kiba shouted. Akamaru changed into a copy of Kiba and the two charged at Sakon. They attacked him from each side and lashed out. Sakon easily caught their fists and lashed out with a kick. Kiba and Akamaru winced greatly as it felt that they were kicked more than once. They were sent flying just as Shino unleashed his bugs at Sakon. The teen dodged the bugs and launched several shuriken at Shino. He dodged and sent out more of his bugs. He kept Sakon on his toes and in the air.

"Fang over Fang!" Kiba shouted and two drills came at him from two directions. Sakon was able to dodge in mid-air but the front of his shirt was torn off. Sakon landed and charged at Shino. Kiba and Akamaru changed direction and tried to hit Sakon from behind. Sakon smirked and moved out of the way, expecting them to clash. Image his surprise when they veered off and split up. Shino used this distraction to appear in his face and threw a punch.

Shino's punch was caught by another arm. He was surprised by this and Sakon attacked him.

"Multiple Fists Barrage!" Sakon shouted. Shino was gagging as he was thrown into the ground with such force.

"Shino!" Kiba shouted. He growled and charged with Akamaru. "Fang over Fang!" The two drills rushed Sakon. Sakon began to spin.

"Mult-Leg Hurricane!" A furious whirlwind appeared and stopped the attack. Kiba and Akamaru was sent flying and tumbled along the ground. They got back to their feet and faced the teen that they were fighting. As they looked to charge again, they were stopped by Shino.

"Are you okay?" Kiba asked.

"Yes but we have a bigger issue. He has the ability to grow extra limbs. It's why his punches and kicks pack such a punch. We must fight him cautiously or we will not win this battle." Shino explained.

"Look at what playing with them has caused Sakon." Said another voice. The two genin looked up to see the second head move. It turned to face them, surprising both of them. "They are close to figuring it out."

"They wouldn't have figured anything out if you had just stayed quiet. They would have continued to believe that I could grow extra limbs." Sakon said.

"W-What the hell is up with him?" Kiba asked with shock.

"Well, since my brother ruined the surprise, allow me to introduce Ukon." Sakon said.

"Enough. Let's just kill them and be done with it." Ukon said. Shino and Kiba geared themselves up for another battle.

**_XXX_**

Ino and Hinata were following the scent of another enemy that was heading northeast. Kakashi's hounds followed the scent while they hopped through the trees. As they neared the location, both girls began to feel a little weird. It was as if they could no longer control their bodies. Hinata activated her Byakugan and widen her eyes.

"I-Ino-san, stop!" she exclaimed. Ino did as she was told and stopped. The dogs continued but stopped moving suddenly. Both girls were confused until they heard the sound of a flute. Hinata using her Byakugan was able to make out a teenage girl that was several feet away from them. She could also see little slips of chakra surrounding the ninja hounds. Hinata gathered her chakra and expelled it across the area. This not only freed the hounds but it disabled whatever was holding them. She then got into a battle stance which Ino followed suit.

The teenager girl entered their view and looked at them with a foul glare. She looked at Hinata and scoffed.

"A freaking Hyūga, that's just great. I guess I just have to try harder." She spat.

"Who are you?" Ino demanded.

"I'm the last person you are going to see before you die trash. I am Tayuya of the North Gate and this is my symphony!" She exclaimed. She began to play her flute and in front of the two girls, appeared three giant looking demons. Both girls looked on in fear as the Tayuya began to play her flute. The three demons jumped off the branch and charged at the two girls and two ninja hounds.

**_XXX_**

Shikamaru and Chōji followed the two dogs that were leading them to the scent that they picked up. It was head toward the west and they should have come up on it very soon. The two prepared themselves for who they had to face. They burst out of the trees and came up on a clearing. The two dogs stopped and started to snarl. Shikamaru picked up on the vibe and realized that their opponent was here. They stood back to back and looked out for any attack.

"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!" a voice called out. The hounds and the shinobi were suddenly encased in an earth dome. It gathered and trapped them pretty quickly. On the outside, a large boy stepped out with no expression on his face. He walked up to the earth prison and placed his hands on it. That's when a wicked smile appeared on his face.

"Time to feed."

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes: _**I have changed both previous chapters and find them to be much better than what I wrote down. I will be focusing on this story, hoping to finish it before the year is up. All my other stories will be on hold until I finish it. Anyway, enjoy.


	28. Chapter 28

Neji and Tenten followed the three ninja dogs toward their opponent. He was keeping to the trees so they decided to stick to the ground. Neji had his Byakugan on and kept an eye out for any type of attack. They felt that they were getting close because of their barking. That's when Neji saw it.

"Move!" he shouted. Everyone scattered as several webs came at them. They continued to dodge but the dogs were caught by some of the web. Tenten then heard the sound of projectiles flying through the air. She quickly pulled out a scroll and unsealed her weapons. She quickly fired them and knocked the weapons out of the air. She looked at the dogs.

"Dispel! We will handle this!" she told the dogs. They listened and were gone in a puff of smoke. Tenten heard some more weapons and easily countered them with weapons of her own. She moved to get to another position. She took shelter behind a large tree and unsealed another set of weapons.

"That's pretty impressive girly." A voice said. "You're pretty good at being accurate but how good are you really?" Tenten grabbed a kunai and launched to where she heard the voice. She knew that he moved and quickly did a clone. No sooner did she do that was the clone attacked. Getting a good fix of where it came from, she launched a set of spiked balls. They exploded and ripped the place apart. When the attack was done, Tenten thought that she got him. That's when she was struck from behind and restrained to a tree. She tried to free herself but the web was too strong.

Kidōmaru dropped from trees and faced her. He had this grin on his face that was smug.

"That was a nice try but I saw through that ploy of yours." He said. He then opened his mouth and a substance formed. It shot forward with some speed toward Tenten. That's when Neji appeared. Neji quickly cut Tenten free, allowing the spear to punch through the tree. Neji charged at the boy and got into a familiar position.

"Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji called out. He attacked Kidōmaru. "Two Palms, Four Palms, Eight Palms, Sixteen Palms, Thirty-Two Palms, Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji sent Kidōmaru flying across the area and slammed right into a tree. The teen groaned and bit as Neji relaxed. He did not take his eyes off his opponent. "Tenten, are you alright?"

"Yeah." She answered before standing up. "Cutting it kind of close huh?"

"Sorry but I was caught by his web. It took me a while to free myself. It seems that the webs can be cut by my Gentle Fist." Neji explained.

"That explains a lot." Kidōmaru said. Neji and Tenten were surprised to see him move. That's when they saw skin fall off him and break when it hit the ground. Neji narrowed his eyes and deduced that his attack was blocked by the substance. He then chuckled and faced the two. "Well, it looks like I will have to change my tactics." He then activated his curse mark. He had a cruel smirk on his face. "This game has just gotten fun."

**_XXX_**

Kimimaro made his way toward the border. Once he entered the Valley of the End, he would be home free. He really didn't care if the others survived but they shouldn't have trouble with a few pieces of trash. He suddenly heard something and had to dodge as he was nearly hit with shuriken. He landed and turned to face his attackers. They appeared to face him and Kimimaro narrowed his eyes at the two. A sense of familiarity came to him as he looked at the two. Kakashi saw it.

"I'm guessing that you know who we are." He said.

"Many know your name Kakashi of the Sharingan. You are very famous. Your partner not so much but I do remember the name of the boy who actually brought Kabuto to his knees. Naruto Uzumaki I presume?" Kimimaro said. Kakashi looked at Naruto.

"You beat Kabuto?" he asked with surprise and interest.

"Lured him into a trap, hit him with the Rasengan, saved granny Tsunade and won her necklace. It was a pretty sweet victory." Naruto said.

"Yes, it was enjoyable to see that he was defeated by you. It still burns him a little. However, I will not be as easy to fool and I will not play around with you." Kimimaro said. Naruto looked ready to prove him wrong but he was stopped by Kakashi said.

"Remember Naruto, this is the one who decimated the men at the prison. He is a Kaguya and he is very skilled with his bloodline, the Dead Bone Pulse." Kakashi said. Naruto looked at the teen and nodded at Kakashi.

"I guess I should step back and let you handle it." Naruto said.

"Just pick your spots and attack when you can. My guess is that barrel he's protecting is where Sasuke is. We need to get it and seal it before Sasuke comes out." Kakashi said.

"You have deduced a lot of things Kakashi Hatake. Too bad it will not save you both." Kimimaro said. He dropped one side of his robe. They both watched as a piece of bone popped out. Kimimaro pulled it out and held it. Kakashi pulled up his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan. He pulled out a kunai and prepared himself. Naruto did the same and readied himself as well. Their battle was about to begin.

**_XXX_**

Kiba and Shino were thrown back by Sakon and Ukon. They both struggled to stand and face their foe. Sakon and Ukon just looked at the two, one with a grin, the other with annoyance. Ukon thought that this fight would have been over by now but the two were persistent. He blamed it on Sakon who wanted to continue playing with them. He didn't want to continue this because they were still kind of low on chakra. He had enough of this and he was going to finish it.

Sakon was surprised when Ukon separated from his brother. He looked at his older brother with a questioning glance.

"What are you doing Ukon?" Sakon asked.

"I am tired of this battle. If you won't finish this battle, then I will." Ukon said and made his move toward the two. Kiba saw a chance now, with the two of them separate. He stood and faced the two. He turned to Akamaru.

"Get back Shino! Akamaru, go!" Kiba shouted. Akamaru barked and jumped into the air. Shino jumped away as Akamaru began to spin and urinate on everything around them. Ukon and Sakon were sprayed as well and they were grossed out by the attack. Akamaru landed and jumped back to Kiba. The boy was smiling and praised his partner. Ukon and Sakon were enraged.

"You damn mutt! You're going to die now!" Ukon shouted.

"Other way around you bastard! It's time I end you and your stupid brother! Let's do it Akamaru!" Akamaru barked and jumped onto Kiba head as he did some hand seals. "Inuzuka Style: Man Beast Transformation Combo: Two-Headed Wolf!" Kiba shouted. A large puff of smoke blocked everyone's view. When it cleared, the brothers were facing a large, two-headed, white furred wolf. The beast growled at them and made his way toward the two.

"**Let's go! Wolf Fang over Fang!**" Kiba roared and launched himself at the two. The speed of the rotation was amazing. The brothers dodged his first pass but were cut up by the force and the wind that the rotation of the attack produced. They landed on the ground but winced as the cutting winds gave them injuries. They watched as Kiba and Akamaru turned around and came at them again. This time, they activated the second level of their curse mark and transformed. They dodged again and again were blown away by the power of the attack. The two stopped and faced the two brothers. He snarled as he missed again.

Kiba was a little worried because he hadn't trained enough with this attack. While powerful, it was tiring. Not only that, his tendons couldn't handle another Wolf Fang over Fang. He was racking his brain for a solution, when they caught sight of Shino. He gave them a signal and he nodded. Kiba and Akamaru slammed onto the ground and launched himself at the brothers again.

"**Wolf Fang over Fang!**" he shouted and rushed at the two. The brothers were ready for him and stood across from each other. They bit into their thumbs and were about to summon. That's when Shino acted. A swarm of insects distracted the two, forcing them to dodge. Kiba and Akamaru used it and focused on one brother, Sakon. The attack slammed into Sakon and carried him a good distance. The attack ripped into Sakon as they moved. Sakon screamed as he could feel his body being torn apart. It didn't take long before that actually happened. The two pieces of Sakon flew in the air. All anyone can see was the surprise on his face.

"SAKON!" Ukon shouted. Shino attacked while his back was turned. Ukon dodged Shino and rushed him. He spared no quarter against Shino and blasted him with attacks. Shino did his best to dodge but the second level of the curse mark gave Ukon amazing power. Shino was thrown into a tree and slid down in pain. Ukon looked poised to end him but stopped when he heard the stomp of a large creature. He quickly entered Shino's body. He grabbed one of his kunai and put it to his throat. Kiba entered the scene, still in his large form. He saw Ukon head and arm holding Shino hostage.

"**Are you alright Shino?!**" Kiba asked.

"You killed my brother you bastard! Now, you're going to watch me kill your friend!" Ukon roared.

"That… is… not going… to happen." Shino gasped out. "You chose… the wrong… body to enter." Shino said. Ukon looked at him when he was suddenly swarmed by Shino's bugs. Ukon tried to escape by jumping out of Shino's body but the bugs were instantly on him. Ukon tried to fight his way out but the bugs covered him. After a while, Ukon stopped struggling and was still. The bugs returned to Shino's body. As they removed themselves from the body, Ukon was in a very weak state. He could barely move his finger after the bugs got done with him.

A shadow fell over Ukon who had returned to his original form. He glared hatefully at the large wolf that stood over. Kiba and Akamaru raised their paw and drove their claws straight into Ukon's body. There was a loud crash that was followed with a dust cloud. They removed their paw and the dust settled. They looked to see Ukon with a hole in his chest. Seeing that he was dead, they moved over to check on their teammate.

They could see that Shino was having hard time breathing. That beating he received must have broken a rib. Kiba and Akamaru separated and looked over their friend. He needed to get him some help and soon. They would not be continuing with the mission.

**_XXX_**

Naruto and Kakashi were having a time against the last Kaguya. The teen's physical poweress was amazing. Kakashi was thankful for his Sharingan as he was able to keep ahead of Kimimaro. He was able to parry his strikes and counter the boy. However, Kimimaro's speed, agility, and dexterity were able to fight Kakashi on equal footing. It also helped keep Naruto away from the barrel.

The blond tried several times to get the barrel and go but Kimimaro was able to stop him, shooting bone shards at him. Naruto attempted to attack from a distance using ninjutsu. Kimimaro was able dodge many of his attacks. Naruto still got some licks in. He was able to cut Kimimaro and even broke his collarbone with a well-placed elbow. The guy just kept on coming.

"Man, this guy is something sensei. He isn't wasting any movement." Naruto said.

"Don't lose faith Naruto. We just need to break that armor of his and we will be okay." Kakashi said. He looked at Kimimaro who had lost his robe and was now bare-chested. Bone was sticking out of him like a porcupine. He sighed as this battle was only going to get worst. That's when everyone's attention turned toward the barrel, which was beginning to rumble.

"It seems I was too late in getting him to Lord Orochimaru." Kimimaro said. The barrel exploded, sending wood everywhere. They two watched as the smoke began to clear. It was Sasuke but his skin was darker and his hair was kind of grey. After a while, his skin and hair turned back to normal. He then turned to face the two. Naruto gasped at what he saw and Kakashi could only watch in shame. One side of Sasuke's face, the curse mark was active and the eye was like a serpent, just like Orochimaru.

"Dear kami, what have you done Sasuke?" Naruto whispered in shock. He gave the two a sinister grin.

"Well, I guess I get to finish what I started."

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Here's a new chapter for the story. I liked how I ended the fight between the brother against Kiba and Shino. I've seen the power of Kiba's attack and it was a fitting end to Sakon. I kind of guess that what happened to Ukon would happen to anyone who tried to invade an Aburame's body. If not, it's fan fiction. You can make anything happen. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Oh, does anyone know what is wrong with the story alert? I usually would get an alert if one of my favs would be update but it isn't happening any more. Is there something wrong with that?


	29. Chapter 29

Kakashi and Naruto faced the two. Sasuke was grinning from ear to ear. He looked at his hands and at his body. He could feel the power of the upgrade that he received from dying. It was incredible. It was intoxicating. This is what he wanted. This was going to help him in his ambitions.

"Was it worth it Sasuke?" Kakashi asked suddenly. Sasuke looked at him and saw the look of disappointment. Sasuke didn't care about his opinion. This was he need and he wasn't going to be judged by him.

"What do you think Kakashi? You can feel it can't you? This is what I always wanted. This is what I always needed! Orochimaru has given me the power to get what I want! I can't think of any way to show you by killing that 'loser' right in front of you!" Sasuke exclaimed with madness.

"It's such a shame. I would think that an Uchiha was above jealous emotions." Kakashi said.

"Shut your mouth!" Sasuke shouted.

"Enough! You need to retreat Sasuke. Lord Orochimaru is waiting for you. I will hold these two off and give you time to reach the Land of Sound." Kimimaro said. Sasuke looked ready to argue but suddenly felt a stab of pain. He figured out that he hadn't full integrated with the new power. He scoffed and jumped away. With that out of the way, Kimimaro focused on the two. Kakashi bit into his thumb and swiped it on his palm. He did some hand seals and put his hand on the ground.

"Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" Kakashi shouted. Kimimaro watched and prepared himself. That's when the ground underneath him exploded and a dog attempted to clamp down on his leg. Kimimaro dodged and jumped when another tried to bit his other leg. "Go Naruto! Sasuke must be captured at all cost!"

"Right!" Naruto shouted and took off. Kimimaro fired some bone at him but Naruto used his Illusion Dance to avoid it. He got pass him and jumped off after Sasuke. Kimimaro looked ready to give chase but he was suddenly sent flying when a piece of earth slammed into his chest. Lucky for him, his bones kept him from get too hurt. Kakashi stood in his way after he dispelled his hounds. His Sharingan was spinning and he quickly did some hand seals.

"Allow me to show you why I am called Kakashi of the Sharingan, the man with a thousand jutsu!" Kakashi roared.

**_XXX_**

Another boom could be heard. Ino and Hinata skid to a stop on the ground. They looked up to see that the three demons were still after them. It had been that way for most of the fight. Neither could get close to Tayuya in fear of being caught in her other genjutsu. Both girls were getting frustrated and were getting a little pissed at how she would look down at them. They needed a solution and they needed it now.

"Do you have any ideas?" Ino asked Hinata.

"N-No. Her summonses are t-too strong. I have n-no long range attacks." Hinata explained.

"Me neither. I don't count the Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu because of the danger it would leave me in." Ino snarled. She hated that smirk that Tayuya wore and so wanted to knock her out. That's when she remembered something. _'I could use that jutsu but I don't know if it will work on a summon. I don't have any other choice.'_ Ino did a seal. "Mind Destruction Jutsu!" she shouted and aimed it at one of the demons, the one with the club. She watched it struggle for a bit before it turned and attacked the other two. Tayuya was shocked at what just happened.

"What the hell did you do, you bitch!" she shouted.

"Holy shit, it worked!" Ino exclaimed. Hinata was just as surprised. She looked at Tayuya and saw that she was playing her flute in order to regain control. Hinata decided to stop her and moved stealth-fully toward Tayuya. When she was close enough, she struck. Tayuya didn't see her coming and was surprised when she appeared. Hinata nailed her five times before disarming her of her flute. Hinata finished her attack with a spin kick that sent her off her branch. Tayuya moaned in pain but was quick enough to dodge Hinata's finishing strike. She threw two kunai at her but Hinata easily dodged her from that range. However, it gave Tayuya space.

She quickly dispelled her summons and activated the second stage of the curse mark. She kicked Hinata away making her gasp by the power behind it. She quickly made her way toward the flute.

"Ino, stop her!" Hinata shouted. Ino charged but she knew that she would not reach the flute in time. She pulled out a few senbon and launched them at Tayuya. They hit her but it did not deter her from getting her flute. The second she did, she began to play. With the power of the second stage, she was able to trap both girls in her Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia. Neither girl could move and were trapped. Tayuya looked at the two with disgust and anger.

"You two bitches should have just let my demons finished you off. The fact that I allowed you two to actually hit me is disgusting. I'm not going to kill you both quickly. I'm going to slowly and gladly cut you to pieces, starting with you, you blond haired slut!" Tayuya said. She removed a kunai from her back and slowing made her way toward Ino. As she got close, she started to stumble. She started to get sick and she could feel her heart beating faster and faster. She started to look around her area and began to slash at nothing but air.

Tayuya was now on the ground and it looked like she didn't have any control of her motor functions. It also looked like she was choking on her own vomit and she could see blood pouring out of her eyes. Ino quickly made her way over and put Tayuya on her side. This allowed the vomit to come out of her mouth. She quickly dug into her pouch and pulled out a blue pill. She forced Tayuya's mouth open and massaged the pill down her throat. Hinata jumped down and slowly walked over to Tayuya. Ino and Hinata watched as her convulsions began to lessen.

Ino let out a sigh of relief and rested. Hinata did the same and sat down next to her. She turned to Ino and looked to her for an explanation.

"I just saved her life. If I didn't give her that pill, she would have choked to death on her vomit. It was an antidote to the poison that was on my senbon." Ino explained.

"W-When did you start d-doing that? What type o-of poison was that?" Hinata asked.

"In reverse order, the poison was made from the black henbane. I mixed it with a fast acting agent so it could travel through the blood stream faster. I started learning about it four days ago when that crazy proctor came into my families' store. She was impressed with my knowledge so she showed me how to make that poison and how to properly throw senbon. It was pretty cool if you can stand her craziness." Ino stated. Hinata looked at her with a little caution. It quickly was replaced and she looked at Tayuya.

"How l-long will she be o-out?" Hinata asked.

"She's out for a long while. I guess we should secure her and take her back to Konoha huh?" Ino said.

"Yes, we have t-to." Hinata said.

"Aww man, I wanted to continue my first ever S-rank mission." Ino said. Hinata giggled at her before standing up. Ino joined her as they made their way over to the captured Sound ninja.

**_XXX_**

Jirōbō just glared at the two in front of him. He had his curse mark active but he could not take these two weaklings out. Yes, out of the five of the group, he was the weakest. Still, it was one genin and one chūnin that he was fighting. From how they fought, the chūnin was the weakest. All he had was that annoying shadow attack and strategy. He had broken it with ease due to his physical poweress. The real trouble was the bigger one.

He was the one who broke them free of the Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison with help from the smart one. He thought that he could over power the two using devastating jutsu and raw strength. The big guy matched his strength when he took some type of pill. He had taken one to fight him when he wasn't using the curse mark and used another to match him when he did use it. He grew to an enormous size and drove his fist toward him. He caught the punch but he was driven into the ground because of the power behind it.

Chōji looked at the spot and was breathing a little hard. He winced a little because he was feeling the effects of the Akimichi Three Colored Pills. They were a great support to the Akimichi but it came at a heavy price. Lucky for him, the fight was over and Jirōbō was dead. Or that was what he thought. When his arm began to move he was shocked. He could not see Jirōbō but he could feel the chakra rolling off him. With a mighty heave, Jirōbō tossed Chōji across the field. The large boy rolled on the ground before returning to his original size. He laid on the ground, unable to move a muscle.

Jirōbō landed next to him and kicked him in the ribs. Chōji spat out some blood as he was sent flying into a tree. Jirōbō was about to continue his assault but was stopped by a kunai. He saw the explosive note and used a substitution to escape. He reappeared to see Shikamaru and growled.

"You are starting to get on my last nerve kid!" Jirōbō said and charged at Shikamaru. Shikamaru just did a familiar seal.

"Shadow Possession jutsu!" Shikamaru and caught Jirōbō shadow. It stalled Jirōbō for a while but he continued on his path.

"This useless jutsu won't hold me!" he roared. As he closed the distance, Shikamaru did another seal.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Jutsu!" Shikamaru shouted. This time, Jirōbō couldn't move. He couldn't believe that he was held in place by this weakling. Shikamaru poured some more chakra into his jutsu. Jirōbō watched as shadow hands held him in place as one more hand went for his throat. Once there, he could feel the shadow hand choke him.

"What… the… hell?" Jirōbō gasped out. He could feel his life passing him as he started to get weaker. He glared at Shikamaru and saw that he was struggling as well. He would not allow this weakling kill him. He exploded with chakra and dispelled Shikamaru jutsu. Shikamaru shielded his eyes and paid for it with a crushing knee. Shikamaru was sent flying into a tree and hit it with some impact. Shikamaru coughed up some blood and was not moving. Jirōbō took some deep breaths before glaring at Shikamaru.

"You damn weakling! I'm going to crush your skull!" he shouted and charged at Shikamaru with his fist cocked. He was on him and threw it with evil intentions. That's when it was stopped by hand. The two looked to see who it was. Jirōbō and Shikamaru were surprised for the same reason. It was Chōji and he was no longer the big, chubby guy that they remembered. He was very skinny and had two butterfly wings coming out of his back.

"Chōji… you didn't…" Shikamaru gasped out.

"Sorry Shikamaru, I couldn't just watch you die." Chōji said. He then turned to Jirōbō. He gave him a hard look "You have made your last mistake." Jirōbō snarled and tried to free his arm, only to have Chōji snap it in two. Jirōbō howled and backed away from him. Chōji charged and slammed his two fists into his chest, shattering several ribs. Jirōbō was gasping for air as the broken ribs had punctured his lungs. Chōji stood over him, his fist raised. Jirōbō was begging but it would not save him and the chubby drove his fist where the heart was. Jirōbō could only gasp as he felt the life leave his body. After a while, Jirōbō laid dead.

Chōji removed his fist and stood. That's when the chakra butterfly wings disappeared and Chōji dropped to his knees. He fell face first and laid there. Shikamaru, still injured from the strike, forced himself to his feet and made his way over to him. He knew what had just happened. Chōji had taken the Chili Pill to get those wings. The drawback was the loss of all of Chōji's weight would kill him. It was the reason he told Chōji not to use the last one. He cursed himself because he used it to save him from death. If only he was stronger, then his best friend would not be on death's door.

Shikamaru ignored the pain and lifted Chōji. He slung his arm over his shoulder and began to drag him back to Konoha. He would not lose his best friend in the world.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Here's another chapter. I hope that you are pleased with the fights that I created. Enjoy.


	30. Chapter 30

Neji was breathing hard. He couldn't believe how hard he had been pushed, even with Tenten's help. Looking at Tenten, he tried to stop the bleeding to her side. She had a very deep wound from one of Kidōmaru's arrows. Tenten groaned as Neji wrapped the bandage. Both were wondering how they were going to survive this fight.

After Kidōmaru recovered from Neji's attack, he jumped into the trees. He then summoned a giant spider to do battle with them. Tenten jumped into the foliage at Neji's request. He faced the spider and readied himself. Neji figured out what Kidōmaru plan was when the spiders tried to wrap him in their threads. While they were able to stop his Rotation, he was able to use the Gentle Fist, Sixty-Four Palms. Even when Kidōmaru increased the attack, he just used the Gentle Fist, One Hundred & Eight Palms. To further frustrate the teen, Tenten was able to counter Kidōmaru projectiles with her own.

When it looked like Kidōmaru was going to try an exhaust Neji, Tenten switched from support to offensive. She used her special scrolls and used the Twin Rising Dragons. She unleashed all her weapons from the scroll and turned the giant spider into a pin cushion. She also destroyed a good portion of the forest. Tenten smirked in victory until she was shot in the side. She looked down to see an arrow. She looked to see a cut up Kidōmaru come at her. He was intercepted by Neji who blasted him toward the ground. He grabbed Tenten and went into hiding. Before he vanished, Kidōmaru threw a weapon at him, which actually connected.

Neji kept his Byakugan on but he was getting dangerously close of getting a severe headache. Tenten forced herself to a sitting position. She looked at the wound and knew that the bandage was not going too last long.

"So, what's the plan?" Tenten growled out.

"We have to find a way to escape. We need to get that wound fixed." Neji said.

"That isn't going to work. He will pick us off from a distance." Tenten said.

"Also, he might have found the weakness in Byakugan. He managed to hit me with a kunai right where the blind spot is. Damn it, what are we going to do?" Neji spat. Tenten was just as worried as he was. That's when she came up with a plan. She looked at her teammate.

"I have an idea but you're not going to like it." Tenten said. Neji looked at her. "If we are assuming that he is as smart as we think, he's going to want to test that weakness. What if you be the bait? I'll wait and hit him when he's reveals himself."

"No, that won't work." Neji said.

"We don't have another choice! He probably thinks that I'm going to die soon, so he won't be after me. Just trust me on this Neji. It is our only option." Tenten said with a strained voice. Neji did not want to put his teammate in any more danger but he knew that she had a point. He helped her to her feet and looked at her.

"Just don't miss." Neji joked at her.

"I don't miss." Tenten grinned through the pain. The two broke off and got into position.

**_XXX_**

Kidōmaru, now in his second stage, watched Neji from a great distance. He could see him trying to look for him with his Byakugan. He estimated the distance of his dōjutsu and knew that he was safe. He couldn't find his partner but she didn't matter. The wound that she received, she would be dead soon. Now, he would focus on his main character. He remembered that his last attack had hit Neji in the back. He didn't know how but there had to be a weakness to the Byakugan.

He took aim and readied himself to fire an arrow. Once he lined it up, Kidōmaru unleashed the arrow. It flew with deadly accuracy and amazing speed. Kidōmaru watched as the arrow closed in on Neji and that he didn't see it yet. It was when the arrow nearly connected with him that Neji dodged. The arrow did tear into Neji, cutting his shoulder deep. While the arrow missed, it made Kidōmaru smile. There was a weakness and he had just found it. It was right near the back of his neck. Now he had him.

As he prepared to make another arrow, he heard something like a rocket. He looked around for the sound and paid for it when a large arrow pierced him in the chest. He gasped as he was sent flying out of the trees and into the air. He looked with his third eye to see Tenten sitting with a large bow of her own. He used two of his arms to try and put the arrow out but the flare of the rocket pushed it deeper. When the rocket stopped expelling flames, the rocket began to glow. Kidōmaru eyes widen but it would be too late as he was consumed by a major explosion.

Tenten watched as the fireball died down and the body of Kidōmaru fell from the sky. It was burnt to a crisp and there was a big hole where the arrow was. Tenten sighed in relief before falling off the branch that she set up on. Lucky for her, Neji caught her and brought her to the ground. She looked at Neji who put her arm over his shoulder. He began to carry her toward Konoha. He needed to get her some help and soon.

**_XXX_**

Kakashi landed on a piece of the earth and waited for the dust to settle. Around him, the area was like a war zone. Earth was uprooted, grass was on fire and there were marks on the ground that looked like lightning struck. When the dust did settle, Kakashi faced down the transformed Kimimaro. His skin was dark grey, had six large bone spines protruding out of his back, and a long bone-spiked tail. Kakashi noticed that with this form, Kimimaro was slower but stronger. It meant that a lot of his jutsu would not work against him. While he did have several jutsu that could end the fight, he was already pushing it with his Sharingan and using repeated jutsu. He needed to end this fight and he needed to end it now.

"You are just as your reputation says. However, I will not fail lord Orochimaru…" Kimimaro dropped to one knee and started to cough up blood. Kakashi looked at Kimimaro as he coughed violently.

"You're not well are you?" Kakashi asked. Kimimaro got his coughing under control and stood. He looked at Kakashi.

"I have an unnamed disease that is killing me. This battle has probably hastened its progress. Because of it, I am no longer of use as Orochimaru's vessel. Still, I will fight for lord Orochimaru's goals. He gave me my purpose and I will not fail him." Kimimaro said with conviction. Kakashi looked at the teen with understanding and respect. Despite who he was fighting, he was loyal to his precious person.

"I understand your drive and I respect it. So, I will end your life before the disease does." Kakashi said.

"I will like to see you try!" Kimimaro shouted and charged at Kakashi. The silver haired adult did some quick hand seals.

"Earth Style: Great Mud River!" Kakashi shouted. Kimimaro hit the river head-on. It slowed him down some but not completely. Kakashi did another set of seals. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb!" A dragon appeared and began to shoot globs of mud at Kimimaro. They hit Kimimaro head-on. He ignored it and continued to charge forward. Kimimaro got within striking range before forming a large spear that surrounded his arm.

"Clematis Dance: Flower!" Kimimaro roared and trusted his arm forward. The spear pierced through Kakashi's gut, surprising the jōnin. Kakashi looked like he was taking his last breaths when he turned into electricity. Kimimaro roared as he was hit with several volts of electricity. Kakashi popped out of the ground and punched Kimimaro into the air. He jumped back and formed a Lightning Blade in between his hands. He then split it into two.

"Lightning Blade: Twin Lightning Shiver!" Kakashi shouted. Kakashi struck Kimimaro with one Lightning Cutter, sending them into the air, repeatedly hitting him in a zig-zag formation into the air, back and forth. Kakashi then slammed his second Lightning Cutter into Kimimaro's chest, driving them into the ground. The impact created a large crater than was a good size. Kakashi removed his hand and looked down at the body of Kimimaro. Several slashes and a hole in his chest signaled the end. He had just ended the Kaguya clan.

Kakashi put his forehead protector down and covered his eyes. He was spent and running low on chakra. Still, he needed to back up his student. He probably will need the help against his former charge. At a slow pace, Kakashi made his way after Naruto.

**_XXX_**

Ino and Hinata were flying through the trees with Tayuya between the both of them. The girl was pretty heavy and they had to work together to carry her. She was still out as the poison had done a major toll on her body. She wasn't going to die but she was going to be out for a while. After a while, the two kunoichi came upon a group of shinobi in white. They could see that they were from Konoha. They made their way to the ground and ran up to the group in white. They saw the two and stood. When they did, they saw who they were treating.

"K-Kiba-kun, S-Shino-kun!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Are you guys alright?" Ino asked worried.

"I'm good. I just have a few bruises, cracked bones and torn muscles. Shino was just healed to the point that he could be moved." Kiba said.

"Are you injured? Who is that you two have?" asked the adult.

"We just got a few scrapes and this was the girl we were fighting. I managed to hit her with a few poisoned senbon. She'll be fine though, I gave her the antidote." Ino explained.

"Well then, we will take her off your hands and transport her. You can follow us back to Konoha to be checked on." He said.

"What about the others? A-Are they okay?" Hinata asked.

"Shino, Tenten and Chōji are in critical condition, Shino the only one stable. Shikamaru has some intermediate chakra exhaustion and Neji has a nasty wound on his shoulder." Kiba said.

"We are wasting time." Said another medic. "Let's get moving and remember to be careful. We don't want to reinjure Aburame-san." They nodded and carefully lifted Shino. One medic put Kiba on their back. They all took off back to Konoha to help the injured.

**_XXX_**

Naruto moved quickly through the trees as he chased Sasuke. He prepared himself for battle as he was pretty sure that Sasuke was going to ignore that order from the Kaguya. He saw it in his eyes. Sasuke wanted to kill him badly. Well, if the bastard wanted his life he was going to have to come and take it. That's when he heard his voice.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto quickly dodged over the coming fireball and launch three shuriken at the ground.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. The three turned into many and littered the ground with steel. Naruto felt someone coming from his left and twisted in mid-air to launch one of his Air Blades. Sasuke was forced to dodge. Naruto landed and pushed off a tree. He slammed his shoulder into Sasuke's gut and drove out of the trees. Sasuke growled and threw his knee which caught Naruto in the face. Naruto flipped out of his fall and landed on the ground. Sasuke did the same and the two ended up facing each other.

"I figured that you would have attacked me sooner or later. You should have listened to that guy and kept on running." Naruto said while wiping the side of his face.

"You and I have unfinished business loser. Before I go to Orochimaru, I'm going to finish our fight and leave your dead corpse for Kakashi to collect." Sasuke said.

"That's not going to happen. You're going back to Konoha and face the chopping block. I'm taking you back Sasuke because you're a traitor and you must be dealt with." Naruto said.

"I'm not the traitor! Konoha is the traitor! They held me back from avenging my family! I was the Rookie of the Year, the best of the best, and I fell short to you! That shouldn't have happened and I refuse to stay in that weak village so that they could take away my ambitions!" Sasuke roared.

"Listen to you bitch and complain. You were the village's golden boy. Any jōnin would have given everything to train you but you wanted to be alone. You wanted to keep all your anger and rage pent-up and allow it drive you. How did that work out for you Sasuke? Your brother beat you ass without sweating. Don't you get it yet? Every ninja in Konoha fights for something to protect, not some petty revenge. You keep thinking that way and you'll never improve." Naruto lectured.

"**_ENOUGH_**, I don't what to here you're damn mouth! You know **_nothing!_**" Sasuke roared.

"All I know is that this will be your final warning. You surrender now or I will beat your ass to the point that you can't move and drag you back." Naruto threatened.

"I'll like to see you try, **_NARUTO!_**"

"**_SASUKE!_**" The two sped off toward each other. Their fight was about to begin.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Here's a new chapter. I hope you like the last two battles. Well, here's comes the main fight. Get ready for an explosive conclusion between enemies.


	31. Chapter 31

The two clashed in a flurry of kick and punches. Sasuke's Sharingan was spinning as he tried to knock Naruto down. Naruto used his footwork to stay ahead of Sasuke and was able to land some bone-crunching blows. After a while, the two separated. Sasuke was doing hand seals as he ran backward.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke roared and launched a large sized fireball at Naruto. Naruto did some seals of his own and vanished just as the projectile passed. There was a loud explosion that was away from the combatants. Sasuke looked around the area for Naruto and wondered where he was. That's when he was suddenly dragged underground. Naruto popped out of the ground while Sasuke was buried up to his neck. Naruto glared down at Sasuke who looked like he was struggling.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu! You ready to surrender?" Naruto asked.

"Hardly loser. I already know how to counter this move." Sasuke said with a grin and changed into a log. Naruto looked at the log and saw an explosive note attached to it. Naruto was caught in the explosion. Sasuke watched with a grin, thinking that he had won. That's until he heard a twig snap. He turned just to receive a knee to the gut. Naruto continued his assault with a downward elbow to shoulder and finished with a head-butt. Sasuke hit the ground and quickly grabbed his nose. Naruto landed and prepared himself to fight again. Sasuke snarled at the sight of blood and glared at Naruto.

He charged and engaged Naruto again in taijutsu. He threw everything at him with anger and fury. It made every kick and punch easy for Naruto to dodge. Sasuke continued his assault, driving Naruto back and to the valley wall. Even with his Sharingan on, Sasuke couldn't land a blow on Naruto. It was if Naruto's body moved like a ghost. In reality, Naruto was using his Illusion Dance in a different way than before. It was something that he just thought of on the fly and he could see that it was really pissing Sasuke off.

Having enough of being on the defensive, Naruto decided to get offensive. He quickly moved out of the last punch and countered with a hook to the body. He followed this with another hook to the jaw, a knee to the gut, an uppercut to the chin and a hook kick to the temple. Sasuke was staggering after the assault when he was sent flying by Naruto's front kick to his chest. Sasuke flew in the air and landed in the water. Naruto watched the water, waiting for Sasuke to surface. When he saw bubble, he fired his pent up technique.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto called out and shot a fireball at the spot. It hit the water with an explosion and some steam. Naruto cursed as he was too eager to fire the jutsu. He would pay for it when Sasuke appeared next to him, glaring bloody murder.

"You dare to use my clan's jutsu! I make you pay for that! Peerless Great Flame Bullet!" Sasuke kicked Naruto. He then dashes behind him and punched him. He then jumped into the air and performed an axe kick. He then rushes behind Naruto again and swept his feet, upward flip kicking him as he does. He then jumps once more, this time behind Naruto, and punched him into the ground face-first. Sasuke ends the combo by kicking Naruto in the back with his left heel as he falls on the ground. Naruto cried out in pain as Sasuke continued to dig his heel into his back.

"That's where you be long loser." Sasuke spat. Naruto growled and pushed his foot off. He got into a spin, using his hands to do it.

"Air Blade Twister!" Naruto roared. Sasuke was hit repeatedly by several Air Blades that cut into his clothes and skin. Naruto wasn't done as he landed on his feet and charged at Sasuke. "Uzumaki Revolver!" Naruto did a somersault that connected with Sasuke's chest. A pressure wave added more damage to the attack. Naruto did this two more times before striking Sasuke with a series of four spinning elbows to the face, each hit knocking him higher in the air. Finally, Naruto finishes it off with a brutal knee to the chin. Sasuke was sent flying into the valley wall with some speed. He hit it with a boom before hitting the ground with a thud.

Naruto dropped to a knee and held his back. That last move really hurt. Lucky for him, the pain was starting to go away. It wasn't the same for Sasuke. Cut, bruised and bloody, Sasuke slowly pushed himself up to his feet. He looked at Naruto with hate and loathing. He should have been winning this fight with the new energy he was feeling. And yet, Naruto was able to match his energy with no problem. He spat out some blood and ignored the pain. He called on the power of the curse mark and the tattoos appeared on his face. Naruto saw this and got to his feet as well.

_'I think it's time. What do you think furball?'_ Naruto asked.

**_'Let's show this puny Uchiha just who he is messing with!'_** The Nine-Tails said. Sasuke charged at Naruto. He vanished and reappeared right in his face. He threw a punch that would have taken off his head but Naruto caught the punch without problems. Sasuke was now looking into Naruto's eyes, which had a very icy feel to them. Naruto used a single hand seal and Sasuke watched as some red chakra appeared around his wrists and ankles.

"Un-seal!" Naruto shouted. The red chakra shattered and Naruto's chakra skyrocketed. Sasuke couldn't believe the amount of chakra that Naruto was expelling. Naruto's eyes seem to glow and radiate power. He squeezed Sasuke's fist and glared at him. The second round was about to begin.

**_XXX_**

Hinata and Ino followed the medic team that had just returned with Shino and Kiba. They could see that everyone was on alert there as they were hurrying along. Hinata had left Ino alone to check on her teammates, so the blond went in search of her own. After a search she was able to find Shikamaru. The sloth wasn't wearing a top and his stomach and chest were heavily bandaged. He was there with his father and Chōji's father. She walked up to them and looked on with concern.

"Shikamaru, how are you doing?" Ino asked with worry.

"How do you think I'm doing?" Shikamaru spat.

"Do not take you frustrations out on Ino. She is not a fault here." Shikaku scolded. Shikamaru sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry Ino. It's just Chōji… he's in danger. He took all three Akimichi Pills to save me because I was weak." Shikamaru said with sad tone.

"Hey, don't talk like that Shika! We were up against some jōnin-level opponents. We should count ourselves lucky that we're back!" Ino exclaimed. She then took a deep breath and gathered herself. "Look, the first step in getting stronger, is to know your limits. You think I liked it when Asuma-sensei told me my faults? I know Naruto didn't when he asked Kakashi-sensei for his. Either way, once we get pass it, we can grow stronger. You've just taken the first step. It's up to you to follow through." The two Nara and Akimichi looked at Ino with wide eyes. She just gave the three a dirty look for their stares. She could say something smart once in a while.

**_XXX_**

Sasuke hit the valley wall with a thud. He quickly rolled out of the way from Naruto's axe kick. Sasuke countered with a kick but it was blocked. Naruto grabbed his ankle and tossed him. Naruto ran at him and attacked, catching Sasuke with two punches. Sasuke recovered and blocked the knee. He hit Naruto with a back-fist. Naruto spun and countered with a spinning hook kick that sent Sasuke toward the water. Sasuke flipped and landed on the surface. Naruto joined him and landed on the water's surface as well.

Sasuke was breathing hard and looked at Naruto, who didn't look as winded as him. How was he losing this fight? He just couldn't understand what was going on. The curse seal gave him such power that he should have been able to destroy Naruto instantly. However, it paled in comparison to whatever power Naruto released. He didn't know what that red chain was but it seems to be holding back a lot of Naruto's power. It was another thing that he assumed Kakashi gave him. Sasuke growled at Naruto.

"Enough of this, it's time to finish this once and for **_all!_**" Sasuke said. He unleashed all of his chakra and began to transform again. Naruto watched as his skin turned dark grey. A black four-point star-mark appeared between his eyes and across the bridge of his nose. He grew claw-like nails and his hair grew to waist-length, still looking like the ass end of a chicken. Two large webbed hand-shaped wings sprouted out of his back. With a flap, Sasuke lifted himself into the air. Sasuke looked at himself and could only smile at what he gained from his time in the barrel.

"This power, this is what I'm talking about!" Sasuke laughed loudly. He looked at Naruto and activated his Sharingan. Naruto could see that both eyes had three tomes in them.

"That's not good." Naruto said to himself.

"**I agree. I believe you should go to the next level as well.**" The demon fox said.

"You think that it will be enough?" Naruto asked.

"**Oh, it'll be enough.**" He said with a smirk. Naruto crossed his arms and began to unleash his chakra. Red chakra poured out of Naruto, looking like boiling liquid. It covered Naruto, sprouting two ears and a single tail. Naruto's features had changed as well, his eyes now red, his whisker marks more pronounced, his nails like claws and his fangs like canines. Sasuke looked at Naruto with shock and awe. It changed into a sneer as it looked like Naruto had a special power as well.

"You think that you're special loser**_! I'll show you just how special you are!_**" Sasuke roared. He flapped his wings and charged at Naruto. Naruto did the same, charging at Sasuke, blasting water away from him. The two meet in the middle and slammed their fists together.

**_XXX_**

Kakashi was running, saving as much chakra as he could. He had re-summoned Pakkun to get him to Naruto and Sasuke. The little pug informed him that they were close but he didn't need the pug to tell him that. He could feel the chakra coming from the Valley of the End. He definitely recognized the chakra of the Nine-tails. It would mean that Sasuke had used the second form of the curse mark. He had to hurry. While he confident in Naruto's use of the Nine-Tails chakra, it had only been a week worth of training with him and Jiraiya keeping tabs on it.

He prayed that Naruto could hold on until he got there.

**_XXX_**

There were loud explosions vibrating off the valley walls. Two blurs were moving toward and away from each other. Sasuke stopped himself in mid-air and used the valley wall to propel him toward Naruto. Naruto jumped over the charge and thrust his arm forward, releasing a large chakra arm. It grabbed Sasuke's legs and stopped him. Naruto swung him and slammed him into the valley wall. He raised him again and slammed into the ground. Sasuke grunted and spat out some blood. Naruto tossed him into the air and jumped after him. He wrapped his thigh around his neck and slammed two elbows to his forehead. Sasuke recovered enough to throw Naruto off and grab him. He dove toward the ground and tossed Naruto like a dart, slamming him into the ground.

Sasuke hovered in mid-air and waited for the dust to settle.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" A large ball of fire shot up and consumed a surprised Sasuke. Sasuke fell to the ground and began to roll, trying to put out the flames. The dust settled and Naruto pushed himself to his feet. He held his shoulder, which was dislocated from the fall. He had ignored the injury and willed his dislocated arm to form hand seals for the jutsu. He was regretting it now as his arm was now useless. He looked at the smoking form that Sasuke. He was moving as well, which made him sigh.

Sasuke struggled to get to his feet. He couldn't believe what the loser just did to him. He had burns all over his body. His clothes were sixty percent gone. He could smell his flesh and was in immense pain. He glared at Naruto who was standing as well. He cursed this loser to the depths of hell for all that he done to him. He was denying him power, power that he needed, power that he deserved. He angrily forced his chakra to his hand. Black lightning arced off his hand and shrieked. With a roar, he charged at Naruto. Naruto held out his good arm and formed a purple colored Rasengan. Naruto waited and watched as Sasuke threw his arm forward with the intent to kill him. Just as the jutsu was about to land, Naruto moved, twisting in mid-air. Naruto winced as the Chidori cut his back but he pushed pass it and twisted until he was behind Sasuke.

He thrust the Rasengan into Sasuke's back and slammed him into the ground. Earth was uprooted as the jutsu grinded into Sasuke's back. Sasuke roared in pain as the jutsu tore into his back. Naruto kept pushing but realized that he would have killed Sasuke if he continued. While he would have been in the right to kill Sasuke, he would allow Konoha decide his faith. He stopped his technique and stepped away, disengaging the Nine-Tails chakra. He fell to the ground on his butt. He looked at Sasuke and nudged him with his foot. Sasuke did not move and Naruto let out a sigh of relief. That is what Kakashi arrived to see.

He looked down into the crater and was surprised at the destruction of the Valley of end. He appeared next to Naruto and checked him over. After seeing that he wasn't dying any time, he looked at Naruto with an eye smile.

"So, how's life as a chūnin so far?" he asked. Naruto just glared at him. He would have given him the finger but he was too tired. Kakashi just smiled and secured Sasuke.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Finished this chapter. I like this fight. It has to be the best one that I wrote. While it does look like that Naruto was whipping Sasuke's ass through most of this chapter, Sasuke got in some good licks. The fight was not that one sided. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and look out for the last one.


	32. Chapter 32

There was a huge crowd at the Konoha stadium. It was filled with the shinobi of the village who were dressed in red. It was the color that they wore when one of their traitors was about to be executed. On the grounds, a chained Sasuke was on his knees. On either side of him, Tsunade and Jiraiya stood. They would be the executioners of the last Uchiha. Even the genin were allowed to see this death. They only ones who were not there was Shino, Tenten, Sakura and Chōji as they were still healing and Sakura was not allowed. Naruto sat next to Kakashi. His arm was in a sling and his back was still stinging.

It didn't take the jōnin long to return to Konoha with Naruto and Sasuke. He ran into two medics who didn't have much to do to either boy. Upon his arrival, Naruto was rushed to the hospital while Sasuke was sent to a prison medic ward. Tsunade placed him under tight security, two teams of ANBU and Ibiki's squad. Inoichi sucked whatever jutsu and secrets out of his head while he was being taken care of. Naruto was seen by Tsunade who immediately congratulated him on his mission's success. He asked about the other and she informed him that they were all going to survive.

While she was doing that, Misumi attempted to get Sasuke free by going to the fire daimyō. Unlucky for her, Tsunade had already assumed that she would do that. She sent word to the fire daimyō. The man was applauded by Misumi's actions. She was quickly dismissed and told her that Sasuke would die within the week. When she returned, she was taken by the ANBU and brought before Tsunade. She was not happy and dismissed Misumi from the council. Misumi was also charged for undermining the Hokage and had most of her assets taken away.

Tsunade managed to get everything set up for the execution within the week. She had her ANBU guard the stadium in case someone tried to save him. It was unlikely but she was not going to take that chance.

"Shinobi of the Leaf Village, we are here to witness the death of a ninja who disrespected the 'Will of Fire'. He spat on our ways and deemed us weak. He has seen that we are not weak and we are even more united. This traitor will now pay the price and it will be a message to any who do not respect the 'Will of Fire' that our ancestors built this village upon." Tsunade said loudly to everyone. She looked at Jiraiya who nodded. They both bit into their hands and smeared a little blood on their palms.

"Summoning Jutsu!" they shouted. From out of the smoke, Gamabunta and Katsuyu appeared. Sasuke looked at the two summonses that towered over him. They looked down at him and for the first time in a week, Sasuke actually felt fear. When he woke up, he was in chains. He looked up to see that he was in a cell, guarded by ANBU, Konoha ANBU. He realized the he had lost to Naruto and was now going to be placed back in prison. He was already thinking of ways to escape when Tsunade entered his cell. She didn't say anything and just held a piece of paper in his face. It was and execution order, his execution order, with the seal of the fire daimyō. Tsunade just smiled at him and left him in the cell as he raged about avenging his clan.

Now looking at the two beasts, he realized that it was at an end. He would not kill his brother; he would not avenge his clan. He was going to die and he was scared. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya.

"Let the execution begin!" Tsunade exclaimed. Jiraiya did some seal and Gamabunta's cheeks puffed up.

"Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb!" Jiraiya called out. There was a small scream that came from the fire but it was quickly gone. The genin in the crowd winced a bit as it was a brutal way to die. After a while, the fire died down and there was nothing more than bones. That was until Katsuyu spat a glob of acid onto the ashes and the bones. It quickly melted the skeleton and destroyed any DNA of Sasuke. It was truly the end for Sasuke Uchiha. With the deed done, everyone filed out of the stadium to go home and reflect on what they had just witnessed.

Hiding in the shadows, an old man watched with narrowed eyes. While he thought that the boy deserved his faith, he cursed at the chance to put him under his control. He would have made sure that the boy would have been loyal to the village. Still, he could not get to him with all the security and Tsunade probably would have recognized a switch. It was a waste of talent. He turned to leave, feeling kind of bad for another Uchiha. He had chosen wrong in his plan to bring honor back to the Uchiha.

**_XXX_**

Itachi sat alone, overlooking the water. He had just gotten word of his brother's demise. He sighed and shed a single tear for his failure of a brother. He was supposed to bring the clan back from their corruption. It seems that he had miscalculated just how much Sasuke would have fallen. He mourned his brother's death in silence and prayed that he would be with their mother and father.

**_XXX_**

It was a week since the death of Sasuke and everyone was getting back to normal. At the gates, a young pink haired girl had just exited the village of Leaf Village. Her eyes were red, her hair disheveled and her face a mess. Sakura attempted to get into the stadium to see the execution and stop it. However, because of her second time in jail and dismissal from the academy, she had no business being there. She tried to force her way in and was sent back in jail. She cried and cried until she could no longer.

She was later bailed out by her parents but she did not thank them or hug them. She didn't even care about the fact that they were having another child. Her love was dead and it was this entire village's fault. She refused to stay in the village that killed her only one true love. She filled out the paperwork and had all of her skills as a ninja removed. She grabbed what little money she had, packed her things and left the village.

As she walked away from the village, thoughts grew in her head. Her thoughts were not friendly. She was plotting her revenge for Sasuke. She was going to get everyone that had a hand in his death. Itachi, the Leaf Village, Naruto, Ino, she was going to get them all. It might take months, it might take years but she was going to do it. She would kill them all, all to appease Sasuke in the afterlife.

Yes, Sakura Haruno will see them all pay. She was now an avenger and she will not stop until it is over.

**_XXX_**

Naruto was packing his stuff. He stopped for a while and looked around his apartment. He wouldn't be seeing it for three years. Apparently the Akatsuki decided to take a break and went underground. Jiraiya told him that they would be using the time to train and grow stronger. It was a great opportunity but he was sad that he would not be seeing any of his friends for that long. It was a difficult decision but he needed to be strong enough to fight these guys. He finished his packing and shouldered his pack. He gave his apartment one more look before exiting.

He arrived at the front gates and was surprised to see all his friends and teachers. He walked up to the group with a shocked look on his face.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked.

"We came to send you off. I know that you will do great under Jiraiya's tutelage." Iruka said.

"We also have some gifts for you." Kakashi said. Each team handed Naruto something that he could use on his training mission. He received hugs from the females and well wishes from the guys. After every one gave him some words, he and Jiraiya began their trek out into the world. Naruto got a few steps before turning back and looked at everyone.

"In three years, I'll be back and I'll be Hokage before you know it!" Naruto shouted and gave everyone a thumbs up. They all cheered at Naruto who just grinned. He made his way back to Jiraiya, his new journey about to begin.

**_XXXXX_**

**_Authors' Notes_**: Well, I finished it. The story is over. As you can read, I killed Sasuke. When I thought back to my original plan, I realized that many of my reviewers were right. I was being unreasonable when it came to keeping Sasuke alive. If I had stuck to the original plot, it would have sounded wrong. Also, I realized that Sasuke does not have any plot in the sequel, so why keep him alive? Anyway, I hope that you like the execution and the result.

Onto Sakura, yes, I let her leave the village but there is a reason. I got this idea of making Sakura into an antagonist in the sequel. I think a lot of writer's underestimate Sakura's intelligence. Among the rookies, she was like the third smartest, behind Shikamaru and Shino. I want to use that to make her a villain. I want you guys when I start the sequel next year to see a very evil Sakura. I want you to be horrified at the person that she turns into. I want you to wonder what the hell is wrong with _Dragon6_ when he created this Sakura. I have not read such an evil Sakura in all my years reading on the site. I might as well be the standard.

Either way, thank you for reading and reviewed. See you in 2014.


	33. info

The new story is up. It is called _Rising Legacy_. Check it out


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